Voyagers!: Frozen in time
by Mrs.Phineas Bogg
Summary: A bit of historical fun turns nightmarish after a strange, automatic mode landing in an ancient city on the brink of destruction. Jeffrey must sort out the red light on his own for a slave woman with a far greater destiny, and a young art student in the wrong place. All the while he's terrified that the Bogg he knows and loves may never return.
1. When Lighting strikes

**Voyagers: Frozen in Time**

**Chapter 1: When Lightning Strikes**

**Paris, France, June 3****rd****, 1902 9:10pm**

"You know Bogg, I have to admit that this was a great idea!" twelve-year old Voyager Jeffrey Jones shouted above the wind as he gazed at the towering infrastructure.

"Good thing it's warm out! Back when I had the guidebook, I used to do this stuff all the time!" His partner, Voyager Phineas Bogg replied.

"So you closed your eyes and ran your finger down to a random date, and then went to that time zone to witness history in the making?" Jeffrey laughed. "That's so neat! Wish I thought of it."

"It killed boredom! I needed some kind of fun, ya know? But now I don't know too many famous dates, so I have to pick _your_ brain. What's gonna happen here again?"

Phineas stared at the black clouds overhead; they were plumped with rain. The droplets soon splashed off his suede, tan vest. He pushed his dirty blonde hair back and raised his face skyward to feel the cool water upon his skin. His vivid blue eyes widened and he grinned. The majestic sight of the great Eiffel tower never ceased to amaze him.

"In about five minutes, lightning is gonna strike the top of the tower and blow all the electricity. I've seen a picture of it in one of my dad's books and it looked real awesome." Jeffrey explained.

"Yeah, but you might not want to be standing too close, kid. This structure is made of pure steel!" Phineas warned, but made no moves away from it. The electrical energy built up around them, and he felt rooted to his spot as a resonant humming filled his ears.

"_Aww, _Bogg! It would have been even cooler if we were actually on the top!" Jeffrey kidded. "Hey, we forgot, make sure the omni is not red or anything."

Phineas flicked it open and saw the green light. "We're good, I guess we can just stand back and watch the show."

Thunder rumbled louder and the rain poured down in sheets. Jeffrey shook out his dark curls and wiped his face. "Keep your eyes on the skies! Eight years from now a physicist named Theodore Wulf is gonna detect cosmic rays throughout the tower after a 4-day experiment and discover…"

Phineas grasped his arm and pointed. "Science lessons later, Jeff! It's gorgeous! The storm is getting closer! _Man! _Look at those bolts out there, it's_…woah! _Here it comes!" He bellowed.

Phineas practically jumped up and down like kid in a candy store and Jeffrey did the same. Three crackling streams of bluish white energy shot out from the sky and linked together as they forcefully made contact with the apex of the tower. The entire monument quivered, its metal parts screeched from the impact. The static electricity in the atmosphere raised every hair on Phineas' arms and his body shivered from head to toe. Jeffrey clutched him, laughing at the spectacular scene.

Thunder cracked again and more lightning embellished the purple hued skies. Phineas suddenly felt a jolt in his hand and the omni made a noise he had never heard before. It was a jarring mix of sounds from the red _and_ green light. He then realized he hadn't closed the device and both lights flashed on and off while the globe spun wildly. The dials turned automatically, but Phineas couldn't read the dates in the darkness. Phineas conked it against his palm. Another shock passed through him and the noise died off with a sharp buzz. The light turned red and the globe locked into place. Phineas held the omni away from him confused. Jeffrey was too enthralled with the storm and didn't notice his partner's bewilderment.

"Bogg, do we have to go already?"

"Go? _Where?_ What do you…?"

In that instant, the Voyagers were flung through the cosmos faster than they had ever been before.


	2. Pirate! Bogg

**Voyagers: Frozen in Time**

**Chapter 2: Pirate!Bogg**

The Voyagers landed on a pristine beach and it was the roughest landing Jeffrey ever felt. His body tumbled headfirst into the sand and he skidded a few feet with his arms out in front of him. He raised his head wearily and spit out grains. The sun had just came over the horizon and it was extremely hot.

_"Woah! _That was crazy! It was like _we_ were struck by lightning! Maybe we were, right Bogg? _Bogg!"_

Jeffrey immediately jumped up and raced to his friend. Phineas lay sprawled out unconscious. Jeffrey slid to his knees and hovered over him, putting his ear to his mouth. He was still breathing. He laid his head upon his chest and gently shook him.

"Bogg, wake up, it's okay. We're not in Paris anymore, I guess you triggered the omni by mistake or something…_Bogg?_ Please wake up!"

Phineas mumbled incoherently and then a small smile played upon his lips. He groaned pleasurably and sang.

_"Oh Susan, Susan, lovely dear, my vows forever true remain, let me kiss off that falling tear, We only part to meet again; Change as ye list, ye winds, my heart shall be the faithful compass that still points to thee…The boatswain gave the dreadful word, the sails their swelling bosoms spread; No longer must she stay on board; They kiss, she sighed, he hangs his head; The lessening boat unwilling rows to land, "Adieu," she cries and waves her lily hand!"_

Jeffrey rolled his eyes and pulled away. "Oh brother, Figures you'd be thinking of her, or any woman. C'mon Bogg, no more sea shanties. Get up, we have to find out where we are."

Jeffrey reached for the omni. He just about had it, when Phineas' eyes flew open and he clamped down hard on his wrist.

"Bogg! You're hurting me!"

"That's right, boy! And you're about to steal a treasure from off my person. Where's my cutlass? I'll show you what happens to thieves!"

Jeffrey laughed nervously. "Stop it, Bogg. We have work to do_, oww!_ Let me go!"

Phineas glowered at him and wrenched his arm tighter. He leaped up and dragged Jeffrey toward the shore. "Where's the ship? I'm taking ya in to the Captain. He'll decide yer fate!"

Jeffrey didn't know Phineas to keep up a joke this far and he certainly never handled him in such a way. "What are you talking about? There's _no_ ship. I mean, I don't know for sure. I need to look at the omni and find out, So let go of my arm you dolt!"

"_Arr,_ a smart tongue, aren't _ye?_"

Jeffrey had enough of the jokes; he kicked Phineas in the shin and freed himself. "Knock it off! We have to look at the omni!"

Phineas raised his hand, his eyes blazing. "What in hell is an omni?"

"_Hello!_ It's that thing you were holding."

"I'm not giving that to you."

"Well that's _too bad,_ I need to check the date." Jeffrey attempted to storm past, but Phineas blocked him.

"I'm not taking that tone from ya, you little urchin! You show some respect for yer elders!"

Phineas cuffed him across the cheek. Jeffrey gasped and backed away. He fought to hide his tears. Something must have gone dreadfully wrong with their cosmic trip and Phineas was no longer in his right mind. It was the only explanation. Jeffrey noticed Phineas fidget and his gaze softened as he balled his hand into a fist. However, he was not about to apologize. In whatever era his mind was trapped in, it was a common way to discipline unruly children.

"The omni is that little round device you have. We need to look at it to see where we are. Give it to me…_please."_

Phineas rushed back to the spot where it lay shimmering in the sun. He put it to his teeth and spat.

"_Ehh!_ It's not even gold! It's a piece of lame brass." He opened it and saw the globe and tiny numbers; the blinking light startled him. He tried to turn the dials, but they wouldn't budge. He cupped the omni to his ear annoyed.

"It's just an elaborate _compass _And it has a terrible sound!"

He flung it toward Jeffrey. He was angry because it seemed so familiar yet he had no idea how to work it. Jeffrey picked it up. He was getting more alarmed by Phineas' behavior.

"It's…its not a compass. It's called an omni. It's a time travel device. Bogg, _please_ stop kidding around."

Phineas whacked the sand off his clothes. "Who is jesting? _Time travel?_ I know naught of such things! I want to know where my crew is. The squall we hit was blowin' up a fright. I saw Jones get knocked overboard, but I couldn't save him in time. The sea claimed him…_I tried!_ He was to go home to his wife and baby in Amsterdam, that's where we were headed for a rest." He stared at the water, the scowl on his face turned to sadness. "What Island is this?"

"_Jones?_ You knew a pirate named Jones? That's my name! I'm Jeffrey Jones." Jeffrey said fascinated. His father Bill had been a history professor, and he had a deep interest in Piracy and sailors of the Golden age, claiming he was the descendant of a sailor from the Netherlands.

"Sure, a fine man he was, much too good to be one of us. _Heh, _he often said the same of me. Sometimes, a man signed up for a voyage or two to earn money for his family. That was the way with Jones." Phineas kicked at the sand. _"Arr!_ Stop the trickery, boy! _Where_ are we?"

Jeffrey peered at the omni. "Italy, August 24th, 76AD."

Jeffrey glanced at the distance across the bay and he saw high marble structures and columns that evidenced they were in the Roman era. The importance of the date still wasn't coming to him. He was admittedly weak with his knowledge of the time period. They needed to get into the city for more answers.

"Let's go, Bogg. We have a red light. That means history is wrong and we have to fix it."

Phineas folded his arms. He wouldn't budge from the shoreline. "_Hold on_. First of all, where do you come from calling me _Bogg, _boy? I don't know you from Adam. And as for your being a _Jones…"_

Phineas glanced at him more carefully. The piercing brown eyes, the longish, firm nose and black curls–they were all reminiscent of the Jones on his ship, but Victor Jones never spoke of a Jeffrey.

"_Nahh, _can't be. How in the world did we wind up in Italy? The wind was not _that_ fierce. Why isn't my ship here? And where in God's name did _you_ come from? A stowaway? That's what you are! A cockroach!"

Phineas paced back and forth so confused that Jeffrey pitied him, even if his insults hurt.

"I didn't come from anywhere, I was with you the whole time. Bogg, your ship is not here anymore. It was never here, it's back somewhere earlier in time…I mean, later in time. I don't know when."

"The year was 1715, So you can't tell me it's 76AD!"

"Look around you! Did you ever see cities built like this in your era?"

Phineas refused to acknowledge the boy was right. "You said we're in _Italy,_ they _have_ columns, smart britches! Smart children like you give me pains!"

"Well, you're not a pirate anymore either. You're a Voyager. You travel through time correcting history and I'm your partner. Don't you remember anything? _1982_? Knocking me out of a window and then saving my life when I fell out? After that, we stuck together. Remember _Voyagers Headquarters _and the The trial? The Tribunal said I was meant to be a Voyager with you, we're more than partners, we're friends…_best friends!"_

"I remember nothing of the sort!" Phineas punched his palm, forcing himself to ignore Jeffrey's hurt expression. "This all must be a dream. The squall, the shipwreck. As soon as it's third dog watch I will wake up with the bells and resume my post."

Jeffrey wasn't getting anywhere trying to bring Phineas' mind to the present, so he decided to humor him. They still had to get to the city. He picked up a piece of driftwood and dragged it across the sand, leading Phineas away from the shore. He had to put his fears aside for now and view this as an opportunity to learn more of Phineas' past.

"_Okay. _What's your post on the ship? I always wanted to learn more about Pirates. They were very cool."

Phineas smiled and followed along. "Actually, it's quite hot and breezy out there on the sea. But we get cool days depending on our location. If you want to know pirates then ya found the right man! I'm in control of the rigging and sails; most often I man the crow's nest."

"Crows nest? What's that?"

"It's a small platform atop the mast, that's where a lookout stands."

"I get it! Like when you see land, you say, _'Land ho!"_

"I suppose." Phineas' eyes took on a sudden, lost gaze. "I warned them of the approaching storm. I saw it out there in the distance, I felt it in the air, in the wind. It was the white squall. but the Captain, he did not want to change course. He swept us right into the eye! The foolhardy rotten bilge sucker!" Phineas snarled. His memories of the storm were too vivid for it to have been a dream.

"So…if there was a storm, why aren't the others here? Where is the ship? Did it sink?"

Phineas looked out to sea horrified. He remembered the terror in his heart, his hands bloodied and raw from clinging to the wood beams as the ship capsized and forced him beneath the black waves. He stared at his hands now. They were smooth and uninjured.

"_Sink?_ I…I didn't think of that, though honestly, I was the best swimmer of the lot." He convinced himself. "That's why I made it way out here."

Jeffrey didn't want Phineas to fall into despair. He changed his tactic. The road lay just ahead. "Hey, Bogg, maybe your crew went into the city, why don't we try and find them?"

Phineas' mood lightened. "I suppose so. Those dirty buggers _would _leave me to dry out on the beach while they had fun!" He grinned slyly. "Perhaps there'll be beautiful wenches to feast upon."

"_Eww_! I mean, yeah, _sure._ Beautiful _women _to _talk_ to." Jeffrey sighed.

Phineas ran to catch up and tousled his hair. _"Arr,_ ye be too young to understand a woman's wicked charms. But give or take a few years and they'll bewitch ya yet! Believe me, it's _not _a bad thing! I was not much older than you when I had my first…"

Jeffrey held his hand up. "_Ughh, _Bogg, it's okay. You don't need to tell me that, _really!"_

Phineas laughed and shrugged. "Prudish boy! Well then, tarry on!"

Jeffrey remembered a time in Cuba when he had to interrupt Phineas' near liaison with Rita, the Cuban woman they rescued in the red-light zone. He wanted to laugh, but then felt bad. Phineas wouldn't remember that.

"Sure, Bogg. One of these days, I'll discover what's _really_ important." He quoted him.

"Couldn't have said it better myself. That's the spirit!"

Jeffrey stared along the breadth of the land. Not far beyond lay a towering mountain, shrouded by fog and vapors. He was sure he had seen it before, perhaps in a book. The road turned from dust to cobblestones as they closed upon the giant, colorful entryway. It was a magnificent sight. Looking through, they saw the city was a hub of activity and trade. Men, women and children strolled, glided and skipped around in sandals, togas and sheathes of brilliant colored dress–and for some, over the top hairstyles and jewelry that displayed their immense wealth.

"Perhaps I died and these are the gates to Paradise!" Phineas stomped on the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. "On earth!" Phineas said enthralled.

"No Bogg, you're alive and so am I, we're just in another time zone."

"You mean another country."

"No, another _time…year_…we're in _Ancient _Rome, well, near it."

"Now you're jesting again."

Jeffrey wanted to shake Phineas to his senses. "Don't you get it? Aren't you worried about anything? You have no memory of who you really are and you don't even remember _me!_ The Bogg I knew would never hit me like that!"

He sniffled and grabbed his cheek. He didn't mean to bring that up again. He wanted to run from this stranger with Phineas' face, but he didn't want to lose him. This pirate was liable to go his own way and forget all about him.

"Maybe that was _another _Bogg! Quit your blubbering, boy, I didn't kill you. The day I _really_ decide to hit you, you'll feel it. And if you keep testing my patience, that day will come upon ya _very _soon!" Phineas threatened.

He paced, trying to shake off the headache he developed, and then rushed up to the boy and grabbed his shirt collar. "I don't want to hear any more about omnis, time travel or time zones, do ya understand me?"

"Yes, Bogg" Jeffrey mumbled.

"Good. What I want right now is a tasty spot of grog."

"You don't drink, and it's too early anyway." Jeffrey informed him.

"Tis a fairy sort of man that _doesn't _drink! All men drink! At all times of day! Mind you, I must keep my senses for my ship post. They use me to climb the rigging and cut the sails. I don't hit the nip as often, but a little bit of spirits never hurt anyone. The good book says it helps the constitution. Come along, I'm famished for grub."

Phineas took the lead into the city and Jeffrey followed glumly behind. He was at a total loss. Their roles had been reversed. Now he would have to explain what being a Voyager meant and train Phineas. He had seen plenty of this stuff they call amnesia on TV shows and movies and it was usually something temporary. Maybe it was the same way for Phineas. Jeffrey pretended to take this change of mind and personality lightly, but inside he wanted to scream. He had no idea if and when Phineas would ever remember him or about being a Voyager.


	3. A city on the brink

**Voyagers: Frozen in Time**

**Chapter 3: A city on the brink**

As the Voyagers wandered around, Phineas was perturbed by the way the inhabitants stared and pointed. He nudged the boy. What did he say his name was again?

"Hey Jerry, why is everyone staring at us like we're odd fishes out of water?"

"It's _Jeffrey,_ Bogg. Maybe because we _are_ fishes out of water. We don't belong here, this isn't our time."

Phineas raised his finger. _"Ah!_ What did I say? No mention of time!"

"Bogg, we're from somewhere very different, it's gotta be the clothes. Maybe we should change, you know, to fit in more with them."

Jeffrey actually didn't mind wearing the toga; the one he wore when they saved Spartacus was very comfortable. A toga would definitely make the August heat more bearable. Even for the summer, the air was unusually hot and suspended heavily upon everyone. He wasn't sure how they would get new clothing without money; Phineas was usually the brains behind those escapades. He looked at Phineas; something else weighed on his mind aside from their clothes.

"Jerry, uh, _Jeffrey_, If this is Italy, then how is it that everyone here speaks in the English tongue?"

Jeffrey was going to play Phineas' game. "Sorry, Bogg, can't tell you that." He sauntered ahead, staring hungrily at the fruit wagons but refrained from stealing.

"And why not?" Phineas quickly swiped two apples from the cart and tossed one over.

Jeffrey caught it and bit it guiltily. "You just told me I couldn't say anything about time, time zones or the omni, that question has to do with the _omni._ Besides, you should know, you're the one who told me."

Phineas pulled Jeffrey to his side. "I did no such thing! I haven't the slightest idea of anything that's going on! Alright, tell me!"

Jeffrey pretended to think it over. "_Nahh_, it's not important, besides, you wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Jeffrey! You can't judge what I would or wouldn't believe."

Jeffrey stopped to rest beside a gleaming limestone fountain; the water flowing through looked fresh and clean and he noticed that others dipped their buckets in to draw some. He cupped his hands and took a few refreshing swigs. Phineas did the same, and then sat upon the ledge.

"I'm losing patience, boy. I'm not a man known for that."

"Okay, Bogg, I remember when you first told me that. The omni has a special function that allows us to hear our own language whenever others talk to us, and when we talk to them, they hear _their_ language. So it works both ways. Pretty neat, right?"

Phineas frowned. "That sounds like sorcery, is that omni a magic tool?"

"I don't think so, it's definitely electronic. Don't ask me how it happens, but every time we traveled across the world we were able to understand all the languages without even thinking about it."

"I've not heard of this 'electronic.' How did we travel across the world without a ship?"

"There's a button on the top that you press and we soar through outer space."

"Outer space? You mean like where the stars and moon exist?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Phineas shook his head bemused with the poor, delusional boy. He was obviously a lonely orphan that craved attention. "Did we…_wait,_ what am I saying here? We _never_ traveled together! You're nothing but a storyteller! You need to go sit with Plato and Aristotle or one of those ancient guys and swap your tales!"

"I'm not lying! You wanted to know, so I'm telling you."

"Well I say ya are! I want to know where we are and I'm going to ask the next person that comes to this fountain."

Phineas' breath caught in his throat and he quickly rose up. One of the most beautiful women he had seen in ages stumbled toward them, straining to balance two large buckets on a yoke across her bare shoulders.

"I will ask that beauty!"

"Bogg, wait a minute! You _can't…"_ Jeffrey stared at the woman and gasped.

She was tall and elegant, though fatigued, and draped in white and gold. Her pale blonde hair was pinned up with wispy curls hanging down the sides of her face and the nape of her neck. It wasn't her beauty that stunned Jeffrey, but her identity.

_"Susan!"_ He called out. "Susan, it's me Jeffrey Jones!"

The woman glanced curiously at him as Phineas came nearer. He laughed and turned her away from Jeffrey.

"Don't listen to that boy, he's had far too much sun." He made a delirious symbol by his head and she laughed. "Allow me to help you, lass." He gallantly motioned to take her buckets, but she stepped away alarmed.

"No, you mustn't. My master would be very displeased! This is my chore."

"Displeased? That I'm helping out a young lady? Well he can bring on his displeasure to _me_ then. If these yokes are heavy now, imagine when they are filled with water. Besides, you're inuring yourself. I can see the scratches already." Phineas took great liberties and ran his fingers across her back and over her shoulders.

The woman sighed from the luxurious tingling sensation. She looked around nervously, and finally agreed. As the man positioned the yoke upon him, she couldn't help but stare at his magnificent body, and the breathtaking features of his face. He could have easily been a god in the form of man. He was a definite candidate for a statue and she would have to tell her friend Albinus the sculptor. Albinus was still on the hunt for a perfect model to represent Mars, the god of war. The little boy in the odd red and white shirt kept staring and then he spoke up excitably.

"Susan, are you here to help us? That's great, because Bogg is having a major meltdown! He lost his memory of being a Voyager! He thinks he's still a pirate in the seventeen hundreds! What are we gonna do? Are you gonna take us back to Headquarters?"

Both Phineas and Susan glared at him perplexed. Jeffrey sighed. Had everyone but him lost their minds?_ "Umm,_ would you mind telling me, us, where we are? My uncle and I just came off the ship and we're not sure."

Jeffrey could almost feel Phineas' eyes burning a hole through him over the _'uncle'_ comment. Some things never changed.

"You're in the city of Pompeii, in the region of Campania. Why do you call me Susan? My name is Sura."

Phineas smiled widely. "Such a lovely name! I'm Phineas Bogg."

Sura laughed at the name, but the longer she stared at him, the more it suited him perfectly. "What an unusual name! What does it mean?"

"Damned if I know! What does Sura mean?"

"_Calf of the leg._ It's surprising you are so fluent in our language yet you don't know the meanings."

_"Ohh, _I just forgot! I'm fluent in _many_ languages and sometimes I mix them up." He winked at her.

He looked at the boy and was tempted to wipe the little arrogant smirk off his face. Jeffrey had told him the truth about the languages. He wouldn't give the child the benefit of the doubt and changed the subject.

"So…_legs,_ huh?" Phineas' gazes traveled up and down her bare legs, from her delicate feet wrapped in shimmering sandals, to the middle of her well-formed thigh where her dress was sewn together with golden stitching. He whistled long and slow.

"You sure have quite a lovely pair of calves!"

"And you have quite a lovely pair of eyes. I imagine your legs must be as powerful as a stallion." She returned his wink.

Phineas blushed and chuckled, and the two commenced flirting. Jeffrey's stomach knotted and he sat on the edge of the fountain and held his head. Ancient Rome was the epitome of wanton lust; at least that's what he had heard his father say. He barely recognized this version of the demure lawyer from Voyagers Headquarters. She toyed with Phineas' shirt and stroked his jaw as they spoke more intense romantic drivel.

He walked away to collect his thoughts and stared at the lethal volcano that overshadowed the city. It was a volcano that would ultimately erupt. The destruction it caused was permanent. Somewhere between two and ten thousand people would be killed; frozen within the hardened lava and ashes in whatever position they died. The city of Pompeii would become their final tomb and along with the towns of Herculaneum and Stabiae, would be buried for centuries.

"_Bogg!_ Come here! I really have to talk to you! It's very important!"

Phineas noticed the change the boy's demeanor, and biding Sura to wait, he stalked over. "Are you _still_ here? I'm about to have a sweet oiled Roman bath with_, uh_ never mind all that! What is it, boy? Your face has turned a ghastly shade of pale."

"Bogg, we _can't_ stay here! Nobody can! This is Pompeii! Do you know what happens to Pompeii on…on…_oh no!" _Jeffrey felt ready to cry. It was all going to happen _today._

Sura preoccupied herself with filling her buckets. She was expected back to prepare breakfast for her master, but these two greatly intrigued her. She had never seen them in the city before, and a man of Phineas Bogg's caliber would have been spoken of exceedingly. His voice and overt charms sent her in a tailspin. Phineas led the boy to a shaded area and the child kept waving his arms and pointing in the direction of Mount Vesuvius. He appeared to be mimicking an explosion. Susan felt a chill up her spine.

Despite the flow of commerce and everyday activities and revelry amongst the people, there were a few that walked around spreading doom and gloom of an imminent destruction. Sura remembered barely escaping to Naples with her family as a little girl, during a huge earthquake that nearly destroyed the entire city in 62AD. Despite the new prophetic warnings, most just laughed and went about their business. However, in the last few days, more and more inhabitants went on the alert due to a series of disturbing, but small earthquakes. The quakes caused only minor damage.

She approached the visitors. "What is wrong, boy? Why do you keep pointing to Vesuvius?"

"Because in a few hours it's gonna blow its top!"

Phineas patted Jeffrey's back, causing him to stumble. He laughed irritated. "Don't listen to him. Now he's making up crazy fables of volcanic eruptions. He always wants to stir up trouble."

Jeffrey folded his arms and pouted. He wouldn't be quiet just because he embarrassed Phineas. He had to save lives, or at least get Susan to safety so she could go on to become a Voyager. Who knew if there was any other problem that needed fixing as well?

"Vesuvius has not erupted in hundreds of years, child. There's no need to be alarmed." She said gently.

Jeffrey held his ground. Somebody had to listen. He grasped Phineas by the shirt. "You don't understand! It's gonna happen and it's gonna happen today! You're all gonna die if you don't leave!"

He found himself shouting and drawing a crowd. He ran around the circle of people. "Listen to me! There's going to be an eruption! The city is going to be buried in ashes! You have to get out before it's too late! Please listen! Do you want your children to die?"

Phineas grabbed him by the waist and then pushed him so hard, that he fell on his bottom and scraped his arm across the cobblestone. He hovered over Jeffrey angrily.

"I've heard enough from you! Who do you think you are scaring the people like this? It's one thing to play games with me, but it's another to tell people they're gonna die! That the children are gonna die! I'm through catering to you, boy! _Go away!"_

Jeffrey burst into tears and jumped up, grabbing his arm. "No! _We_ have to leave! We can't change it! We're _not_ staying!" He pulled the omni off his pants loop, but Phineas quickly snatched it.

"And I believe this is _my_ property. I don't want to see your grubby hands on it again. I don't want to see _you _again! Get lost!"

Phineas didn't want to strike him, but he yelled harshly enough that he got the point. He wrenched his arm free and marched to Sura's buckets.

"Let's leave, Sura, before I do something I will regret."

"But Phineas! He's your nephew!"

"He is _not_ my nephew! He just likes to go around saying he is, and trying to connive me into thinking we're best friends!"

With the yoke tight over his shoulders he walked back to Jeffrey, who stood dumbfounded. "Gangway! I don't want to see you hanging around me anymore! I work alone!"

"But you need me!" Jeffrey cried out. "We have to do something to help!"

Phineas kept walking, but winced at the distraught tone of his voice. He shook his pitiful thoughts away.

"I only need to help myself!"

Sura quickly followed after Phineas, but gave Jeffrey a heartfelt glance. The poor boy's tears flowed intensely and he slumped over, walking slowly from the fountain and toward the city gates. There was something in the boy's earnest pleas that made her want to believe him. No child would take a prank that far. She tapped Phineas on the shoulder.

"Please hand over my buckets."

"But I'm going to help you take them to your home."

"I can certainly help _myself_." She said coldly. "You need to find your boy and apologize to him."

"He's not my boy!"

"Then what is he? Why is he with you?"

"I don't…" A flash of seeing Jeffrey falling and a struggle with an animal for a black book crossed his mind, but then it faded. The boy had said he rescued him from a fall. "I don't know, Sura! I don't think he has a family. That boy has no manners. Let him cry. I'll find him later, he needs to learn respect."

"I would hardly say _you're_ the best teacher! It's obvious that boy loves you, he's trying to protect you."

Phineas laughed abruptly. "_Loves_ me? He doesn't know me! And I don't need 'protecting' from a child."

"No, Phineas, I get the sense that _you_ are the one trying to forget him. Maybe he is telling the truth. You don't know the kind of destruction that could happen here." She lowered her eyes to hide her tears. She had lost a number of family and friends during the first earthquake.

"You're right, I don't." Phineas said softly. "But that boy is a pest and a thorn in my side, he's…"

"He's a child that has no one to care for him but_ you!_" Sura quickly unlatched her buckets and carried one in each hand. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine. Good day, Phineas."

"Sura! Wait! I'm sorry."

"Tell that to the boy, then perhaps I'll speak to you again!"

She disappeared behind a corner and Phineas kicked the wall. He gritted his teeth frustrated.

"What the hell am I doing here? Why does nothing making sense?" He questioned aloud.

He opened up the omni device and studied it closely. The numbers and month corresponded to the date that Jeffrey gave him. The constant buzzing of the red light almost made him smash it to pieces. Jeffrey had said something was wrong in history and that's why it was red. As he gazed at the peaceful city around him, his sights happened upon the Volcano. Jeffrey also said they had to _fix_ what was wrong. How in the world would they stop a volcanic eruption?

Against his fractured memories of the storm, Jeffrey's tales seemed almost reasonable, but Phineas still found them too fantastic for his liking. However, he couldn't explain the lack of a language barrier, nor how the boy knew exactly who he was, when they had never met. Phineas slouched against the wall. Every time he stared at the boy, he felt an unusual void swell in his heart. He wanted to remember him, and despite his anger, he wanted to know him.


	4. Flashes of memory

**Voyagers: Frozen in Time**

**Chapter 4: Flashes of memory**

"Pliny, make yourself useful and go find me a male model!"

Pliny stopped hammering and stared at his tutor. "It's no use Albinus, I've been out there every day and even in Naples. Every single male I've brought to you, there's cause for complaint. Too _fat_, too _short_, too _ugly, _too _skinny_, too…_small_! You know I'm trying to finish up the bust for my uncle."

"Pliny the Elder can _wait,_ besides, your chiseling is terrible, and the eyes are not in line with the ears! Would you want to embarrass him? You are a much better judge of character than a sculptor."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, _teacher."_ Pliny complained.

Albinus always scolded him, and after much consideration Pliny decided not to take offense to anything the impulsive man had to say. Albinus was quick to insult, but then backed it up with small praise. This would be his last summer with Albinus, and he planned to continue his scholarly studies with famed writer Quintilian and finally marry the young lady he adored.

"When I at long last create this statue of Mars, I need you to write up a proposal for me to present to the emperor. You're fantastic with words. Give it all the glowing detail you got."

"Ah yes!" The young man grinned. "I'm sure it will be fine. He'll see for himself."

"Yes, yes, but it helps to soften him up and keep him in good expectations."

Writing was Pliny's passion, but Albinus often told him that, _'Sculpture was in fashion.'_ "Your dream is to have it displayed in the new coliseum, Albinus?"

"Oh definitely! It's still looking rather bare. Don't you agree?"

"I suppose. I haven't visited lately. Why don't you give them the statue you made two years ago_?"_

The older man tossed up his hands, sending a spray of marble dust in the air. Pliny groaned and shook out his hair.

"_Absolutely not!_ It's scrawny! Dated! I must start fresh. An ideal form cannot be rushed. This will be one of my lifetime achievements, that's why I need someone with the face of a god, perfect bone structure, immaculately proportioned muscles_ and_…" Albinus' jaw dropped and his green eyes popped open wide when he peered out the window.

"Oh the gods are smiling upon me! _Pliney!_ Get that man out there! He's the one!"

Albinus dragged his portly form and robes across the littered floor. He pointed out the window. Pliny followed and stared at the road.

"I saw him just a little while ago. He was yelling at his child and they parted ways. They were arguing over Mount Vesuvius. The boy thinks it will erupt today." Pliny stared at the steaming mountaintop and his heart trembled. An eruption had often been his great fear since he was a small child.

Albinus paid no mind to the eruption comment. _"Hurry!_ Before he turns that corner! I need him! He's the one! He's my Mars!"

Pliny the younger dropped his hammer and rushed out the door. Albinus motioned towards the end of the forum and Pliny finally saw the man. He was wandering around with confusion knitted on his brows and he sweat heavily in his warm attire. Pliny smiled, Albinus definitely had an artist's eye for detail and he could already imagine the marble figure that would be created under his skilled hands.

As Phineas pushed through the crowded streets, the pounding in his head was only amplified by the sound of constant hammering and scraping. All around him monuments and temples were being constructed and adorned, and every sort of entrepreneur traversed the streets, pushing and selling their wares. Jeffrey was nowhere to be found.

"When I find this boy I'll wring _his…"_

Phineas felt someone tug on his arm and he turned, prepared to take a swing with his clenched fist. The person ducked and knelt in respect, for it may very well have been a god come in the form of a human to spy upon the activities of the city, at least he had been taught they sometimes do.

"I'm sorry, sir! Forgive me! But Albinus the Patrician and renowned sculptor, has requested your presence in his work quarters."

"I don't know any Albinus. I'm looking for a little boy, about this high, with dark curls. Ya can't miss him, he has this silly red and white shirt on, brown pants and these unusual shoes with red checks. Hey, get up, will ya. This is embarrassing."

Pliny stood up and looked the man over again. His outfit was just as silly as the boy's sounded. Albinus would never let him live it down if he didn't bring him back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see where he went, but…_but_…if you come to see my tutor, I can help you find him."

Phineas scratched his head tiredly. "Tell me this Albinus has something cold to drink and food?"

"Of course! Whatever you desire, just follow me, it's not far."

"Hey, what's your name, kid?"

"I'm known as Pliny the Younger."

"Younger than _what?"_

"Younger than my uncle, Pliny the Elder."

"I see, ya mind if I just call you Pliny?"

"Of course not, as long as my uncle is not in our presence, then it could get confusing."

_"Naturally."_ Phineas rolled his eyes. "Is this gonna take long?"

"After the initial assessment, Albinus may ask you to stay so he can make preliminary sketches."

"Uh…_what?"_

"Sketches, drawings."

"Drawings of what?"

"Of you, man! That's why he asked me to find you."

The two came to the steps of Albinus' art villa and Phineas hesitated. "Why does he want to draw me?"

"He thinks you're perfect for the image of Mars!"

"Mars? Whuz that? I look like a red _planet?"_

"Oh, by the gods! Mars, the _God of war!_ I can see you're not from Rome, good sir!" Pliny noted, enthused. "What's your name?"

"Phineas Bogg."

Pliny nearly jumped up and down. "_Phineas!_ The Grecian god! A son of Poseidon!"

Phineas smiled, recognizing _that_ name. "Poseidon! Father of the sea!" He decided to tease Pliny. "My father was in a dreadful tumult! He caused the worst storm any human had seen in ages! I was manning a ship and it capsized! No lives were spared but mine. I floated here from way beyond with the help of two beautiful mermaids, ya see!"

Pliny smirked. "Alright now, I was only making a reference. I know you're not _really_ him. Come on before Albinus strangles me."

Phineas shrugged. "Oh, yeah sure, lead the way, Pline."

"Pliny."

"Gotchya."

The moment Phineas and Pliny stepped into Albinus' workshop, the artist dragged him to the center of the room. "What a joyous day! Come now, it's too hot for these clothes. Disrobe!"

Phineas looked at the two men in horror. "_Excuse me?"_

"Disrobe, remove your clothing, we have lot's to do!"

"_He's not very bright is he, Pliny?"_ Albinus whispered to his student.

"You're not sculpting his _brain,_ Albinus." Pliny sighed.

Phineas crept towards the door. "I'm sorry, but _I_ decide when I disrobe, and personally, you're not my type."

Albinus laughed. "Oh for the gods sake! What are you conjuring? I need you to disrobe so I could see your form for the sculpture. Pliny, fetch him a subligar and let him change behind those curtains."

Pliny led Phineas toward Albinus' dressing chamber. "Wait_, wait_, what's going on here?"

"He told you, he wants to assess your body, then draw it. Please don't back out now!"

Phineas mulled it over for a moment. "Well, what's in it for me?"

"Food, drink, a female slave if you like. I saw you with Sura, she is one and mighty beautiful."

"Oh, I'll have my ways with _her_. But I mean _real_ money." Phineas pressed.

"Well, he'll give you some, but just know that this image he creates of you will be _immortalized_ at the Roman Coliseum! That's a fine payment."

Phineas grabbed the undergarments from Pliny and looked them over. They were very familiar. The Coliseum he had heard of from old stories. However, there was something profound about it pressing in his mind.

"Spartacus!" He blurted out from behind the curtain.

"The Gladiator slave who commandeered the revolts after he escaped from Capua?"

Phineas poked his head out and stared numbly at Pliny. "Yes! Him. I _uh…he and I…uh…"_

"Perhaps you've had too much heat. Did you personally _know _Spartacus?" Pliny chuckled. "That must make you immortal then, my friend."

A flash of metal swords and screaming crowds invaded Phineas' senses as Pliny poured him some cool tea and set up a tray with wine, bread, meats, cheeses and fruits.

"Were you a Gladiator, Phineas? It's amazing that you're still alive to tell of it."

"Yes, no…_once!_ I fought in the Coliseum with Spartacus, but I helped him to escape from Cicero!" Phineas suddenly remembered that he didn't do it alone.

"You know, I've heard stories of how his dueling partner threw down his sword and refused to fight. Spartacus did the same and then they used a chariot driven by a slave boy to get away. It sounded thrilling! So it was _you?"_ Pliny couldn't resist teasing him, the events with Spartacus happened a hundred and fifty years prior.

_"You_ helped him make that escape?"

"Is there an echo in here? That's what I said!" Phineas insisted. "Yes, me and the _boy…"_ He shook his head, suddenly imagining a boat, but not a ship–it was a different kind of structure merely floating upon a lazy river and he was counting a deck of cards. What were _cards?_ It all had something to do with rocks? Schnibbits? No–freedom! A pretty black woman, she was a prisoner in that boat and the boy disobeyed him because…

"Now I _know_ you're having a heat stroke, man. Never mind, there's no way it could have been you. Those events happened over a century ago."

Phineas marveled at his thoughts. "Jeffrey, he was with me, we fought in the arena, I know we did!"

"It would be amazing if it were you, and perhaps you have fought in an arena once. You know, I've heard the Spartacus story since I was practically a baby. I guess that's why I'm a little soft on the slaves. I feel for their plight." Pliny mused.

"Baby? The Nile river. _A baby?_ Yes! _Moses was found by the Pharaoh's daughter, in the Nile!"_ He grasped his head, hearing Jeffrey's voice out of nowhere. His brain hurt.

Pliny patted him on the shoulder. "Don't let the Emperor hear that kind of talk, he might throw you back into the Coliseum and feed you to the lions with the rest of those Hebrew zealots! Finish getting dressed, Phineas, well, rather, _undressed_, and meet Albinus in the other room. I'll leave your meal in there and go on the hunt for your boy."

"He's not _my_…_arr, _never mind! Yeah, please find him, we must have a talk." Phineas said glumly.

What he really wanted to do was suck up his pride and apologize. He had given the child nothing but grief since he woke up on the beach. Something dawned upon him. In every flash of memory he had, Jeffrey was somehow present. He opened the curtain and stared at himself in the full-length looking glass. It had been a while since he paid his body any mind. At least he was still in peak physical condition. For someone who was supposedly shipwrecked and tossed from the height of the ship, he had barely a scratch upon his skin. He examined his muscular legs and arms, noticing a few indentations in haphazard places.

'_Teeth marks?_' He knew one thing, he hated slobbering dogs. _'A big furry thing with all the teeth…' _

"Ralph!" He said aloud.

"Who's Ralph?" Pliny asked from the doorway.

"I don't know, a dog maybe? Yes! My dog!…no, _his_ dog!" Did Ralph belong to Jeffrey? Where did he see him last?

Pliny shook his head. The man did not smell of wine, but he spoke as disorientated as the town drunk, confusing dates and time periods. "Strange name for a dog, but cute in a way."

Phineas shifted the under-wrapping until it rested evenly upon his waist. It seemed difficult to put on, yet he managed it well. He had certainly done this before.

"Well I'm ready. Let's get on with it." He shrugged.

Pliny nodded at him. "I promise you this will be painless. Phineas, prepare to be made _a living god!"_

-O-

"Does it feel better now, Jeffrey?" Sura asked as she finished cleaning his scrapes.

"Yes, a lot. Thanks."

She put down the bowl of water and went about making him a plate of food. Since it was still early morning, she prepared him a breakfast of wheat pancakes with dates and honey and some milk. He ate it quickly and she fed him seconds.

"I would give you the mulsum, but it's a mixture of boiled wine and honey. I think you're a bit young for the wine!" She smiled.

"I know, always _too _young. You sound like my mom. But my dad used to let me have a few sips."

"Where are your parents?"

"They…they died."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you truly alone?"

"No, I'm with Bogg, but right now I just…" Jeffrey stared down at his plate. His face flushed. _"I just hate him!"_ He forced out. It felt good to say it, but he never imagined he would say that about his best friend in the entire world. Deep down he didn't mean it. Sura clasped his hand.

"Jeffrey, you mustn't speak that way. I'm sure this will all be resolved. It's probably a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, Bogg doesn't understand _anything!"_

Sura stared at the boy peculiarly, thinking how he was unlike any child she had ever seen in Rome, even among the foreigners and Christians. She had been privy to bits of his conversations with Phineas, and he said the strangest things too.

"Jeffrey, why did you call me _Susan?"_

"_Um, uh,_ you look a lot like a woman I know, her name is Susan. She's an old friend of Bogg's."

"It's a very nice name. I do like it!" She grinned. "What is_ Voyagers Headquarters?_ Is that like the Emperor's palace?"

"No, it's a place in…" Jeffrey refrained from telling her. He had a better idea, one he hoped she would believe. Being Ancient Roman, she and most people around here would be apt to put faith in all sorts of gods.

"Sura, suppose I told you that Phineas Bogg and I are not exactly, _well_, what if I told you that we are like ambassadors to the gods?"

Sura cocked a brow and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm trying to warn the people about Mount Vesuvius, because I was given a…a dream! I had a dream of the future. I get them often. And the gods tell me what is going to happen."

"Jeffrey, there are many around here that claim to have these dreams, most are just liars if you ask me." She looked away timidly, being unaccustomed to giving her opinions.

Jeffrey lowered his utensil. "But _I'm_ not a liar! The gods show me and Phineas the future, they allow us to _travel_ to the future!"

"If they allowed you to see the Mount Vesuvius eruption, then how is it that Phineas didn't believe you?"

Jeffrey's eyes watered with tears. "I don't know exactly. There was a problem. The last place Bogg and I went had a lightning storm. There was a lot of electromagnetic energy in the air, and when we traveled through the cosmos, I mean _past the stars_, Phineas forgot about being a Voyager. He only remembers his past life." Jeffrey explained rashly.

Sura gaped at him. She had no idea what electromagnetic energy was, though she had heard of the cosmos and knew of the stars. The boy's tales were growing more imaginative by the minute and she wondered if Phineas were right. However, she had a creeping notion in her heart, an intrinsic dread of something about to happen. She never considered herself a fore-teller of events, but this morning she woke up with the impression that she didn't belong–not in Pompeii, and not in Rome, but somewhere very far away.

"Jeffrey, where is Voyagers Headquarters?"

"I can't take you there, I don't really know. Only Phineas can get us there with his omni."

"Omni?"

"That brass little compass on his belt."

"Is that your mode of travel?"

"Yeah. He knows the proper settings. My guess is that the Voyagers are…"

"Beyond the cosmos." Sura finished quietly. "It might sound crazy to others, but this is all making sense to me. Your arrival, your clothing, and our chance meeting by the fountain."

Jeffrey smiled and his mood lightened. She understood. Now he had to try and convince her about the eruption.

"Sura, I know for sure that in a few hours, Pompeii is going to be totaled. I mean, _totally_ destroyed. I remember learning that it starts off lightly, with falling ashes, but then it gets a lot worse. Poisonous gases will kill most of the people and the city will be buried under tons of hard lava and ashes."

Susan stared at him in utter disbelief. "You mean that Pompeii no longer exists in the future?"

"Yeah! When it was dug up in the eighteenth century it became an outdoor museum of frozen bodies and art and stuff. But the ancient city doesn't exist anymore, nobody lives there."

"How terrible! All these poor souls will be…"

"_Frozen in time_." Jeffrey finished gravely. "We have to do something or warn someone but I don't know who!" He pounded his fist.

Sura sprang from her seat. "Why not everyone! The more people we tell, the more lives we save."

Jeffrey shook his head. It always ended the same. He had been through this before on the Titanic. He had to make her understand the importance of the red light.

"Sura, when the gods tell us these things and send us on assignments, we are sent for a specific reason, because we _cannot _change the course of history."

"Then what is the reason? _Me?"_

"Maybe!"

"Perhaps I'm supposed to be like you and Phineas! Slaving for the gods, not these wealthy pigs! That would be fantastic!" She said excitably. "I must tell my friend Pliny!"

"Pliny?" Jeffrey asked. The name struck him as very familiar.

"Yes, Pliny the younger, his uncle is a naval prefect, he can get boats and galleys together and round up people to safety!" Susan rushed to the doorway. "Pliny may be at with Albinus now, he's an art student, but between us, he's pretty lousy at it. Now that he's eighteen, he's free to take on whatever studies he wants. He told me he was going to pursue law."

Susan looked fleetingly toward the sky. "If only women could do the same. I would love to be a lawyer, I am _very_ steadfast about serving justice."

Jeffrey didn't know if he should reveal her future. "I have a feeling that situations may change for you, Sura. You won't be stuck a slave forever."

"Not if I'm destined to die in this calamity you speak of."

Jeffrey suddenly remembered where he knew that name. Pliny the Younger was probably one of the biggest reasons anyone in the future knew of Pompeii. The young man wrote all that he witnessed–from across the Bay of Naples and out of harm's way. He ran up to Sura and clutched her arm.

"You mean, Pliny the Younger is _here_ in Pompeii?"

"Yeah, it was quite a surprise he showed up last evening, he said he was intent on finishing a present for his uncle."

"His uncle?"

"Pliny the Elder. Jeffrey, what's wrong? You look ill. Perhaps you should lay down."

"No! I'm fine! I _need_ to find Bogg! Pliny is the reason we're here too! _He's_ the red light! Pliny the Younger is not supposed to be in Pompeii on this date!"

"What do you mean?"

"Pliny the younger will become an author, and he writes all about the Pompeii destruction because he witnessed it from the shores near his own home. He _shouldn't _be here! He'll die, and that will change everything about history!"

"Jeffrey, this is frightening!"

"I'm serious, Sura. We need to get him back across the Bay. Where's his uncle?"

"The Elder is at home now, he's safe."

Jeffrey's eyes went wide. "Sura, you had it right before. Pliny the Elder _does_ get his boats and comes here, but _he_ doesn't make it out alive!"

_"Oh no!_ Then we have to warn Pliny and make sure he tells his uncle to stay put. The poor Elder has weak lungs, the residue in the air could very well kill him, but not if he doesn't cross the bay."

Jeffrey was about to refute her, but then kept quiet. History would follow its natural course once Pliny was safe and–and the unfortunate Pliny the Elder met his outcome. Jeffrey would have to save Pliny the Younger with or without Bogg. Right now, he had a new partner. Voyager Susan was on his side, even if she didn't know how or why yet.


	5. Dogfight

**Voyagers: Frozen in Time  
**

**Chapter 5: Dogfight**

Sura and Jeffrey bustled through the streets, which crowded up as it drew nearer to the afternoon. In most parts of Rome, wheeled carriages were not allowed on the streets until after 4 pm. Jeffrey felt a little guilty for not marveling so much upon the beauty of the ancient city and its vibrant citizens.

_'It doesn't matter, it's gonna go up in flames, or rather, down in ash and rubble.'_ He thought sadly.

At the Venus fountain, Sura waved toward a young man. He was short and slightly paunchy with dark hair and wide-set, inquisitive blue eyes. He couldn't be sure if this was Pliny the Younger, until Sura called his name and he ran over smiling. They hugged.

"Sura! I'm glad we found each other, I was out on my way to look for the boy." He stared at Jeffrey. "Yes, you! How are you? What's your name?"

"My name is Jeffrey Jones. I'm fine I guess, we were actually coming to find you."

"Well, that's good. Your guardian is with us, Jeffrey, he's been asking for you a lot."

Jeffrey's eyes widened hopefully. "Really? He has?"

"Yes. He would have come himself, but Albinus the sculptor has him prisoner."

"What? _Prisoner? Where?"_

Sura laughed. "He means that Albinus has set his sights on his latest masterpiece. Don't tell me he's using Phineas for his art?"

Pliny shook his head, chuckling. "That's right. He's found his Mars. He's sketching him now."

"This should be quite fascinating." Sura said cheerfully.

They started walking toward Albinus' villa, but Jeffrey stopped abruptly.

"Wait a minute!" He called loudly. "Sura! We don't have time for this! Remember what we talked about? Mount Vesuvius? The eruption!"

Pliny gaped at him. "What does he mean?"

"Oh dear, I was hoping to take his mind off this wild notion."

Jeffrey wanted to scream at the idiocy of all these adults. "Wild _notion?_ You said you believed me!"

Sura knelt in front of him and held his shoulder gently. "I want to Jeffrey, I really do, but by telling you that, I knew you'd let me take you back to your friend. I don't want to see you get hurt or be all alone."

He jerked from her grip. "I don't get you! I saw the look on your face! What about Pliny and his uncle?"

Pliny gazed at him fretfully. "What about my uncle? What is all this?"

Sura sighed and stood up. "Pliny, Jeffrey is…well, he wants everyone to believe that he and Phineas are seers, sent by the gods to travel through the ages and help history along a corrected course. Did I get that right, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey hated to feel patronized. It figured that she would not want to jump to rash conclusions; she had to look at the situation from all angles, that was what made her a good lawyer for Headquarters.

"Yes, absolutely right. Pliny, you have to get out of Pompeii! Mount Vesuvius is going to erupt in…what time is it?"

"I'd say half past ten."

"About three hours! That's good! You have time to get on a boat across the bay and stay there!"

"Jeffrey, I can't leave, I'm in the middle of work with Albinus. I'm his assistant."

"All of this doesn't matter!" Jeffrey insisted. "Everyone is going to die, but you can't! You have to live to write about it for future generations, you're going to become a lawyer and a bunch of other stuff, I don't know my Roman history too well, but I know for sure that you don't die here!"

Pliny's heart jumped fearfully. The urgency in Jeffrey's eyes could not be ignored. "What did Sura mean about my uncle?"

Jeffrey looked to her, and she shrugged nervously. It wouldn't help to tell him. "It doesn't matter, your uncle is back home, right?"

"Right!"

"Then he's safe, right?" Jeffrey asked.

Pliny threw up his arms. "I don't know! You're the one telling _me_ the future!" He pulled Jeffrey's arm. "Let's get back to Phineas. We have to settle this whole matter once and for all."

"Good!"

The trio hastily burst inside the Villa. Jeffrey stopped in his tracks again. If he weren't so anguished over the impending doom, he would have laughed like a hyena.

Phineas was sitting tall and straight upon a marble pillar. He was clad in nothing more than what looked like a loose diaper. A white sheet dangled over his right leg and a gold tunic was stylishly wrapped across his left arm. He held a short sword with a sizable, decorative handle in his left hand, and he had both hands folded over his left knee, which was raised into his chest. His left foot was perched upon the top of a gleaming helmet. His right leg hung out relaxed, and alongside it laid a big, circular shield.

Jeffrey held his nose, the room smelled of a pungent sesame oils. It was pleasant, but a definite overkill. Phineas' skin glistened as if he had taken a dive in a pool of it and his unruly hair was combed so some curls piled in true Roman fashion atop his head. Sura gasped and she gripped Jeffrey's shoulder tightly to control herself from falling straight into Phineas' arms.

A heavyset man in a toga sat before Phineas with a large papyrus he spread out like a painting canvas over an easel.

"Albinus is a true student of the arts, Jeffrey. He studied under some of the finest Greek artists; most of Rome is not as advanced as he is in technique. The Greeks had the advantage." Pliny whispered.

Phineas had a dull expression upon his face, his eyes glazed over and his mouth set crookedly. Jeffrey noticed the table and saw a tray with rich foods and a large empty goblet of wine.

"Oh, no! _Bogg!_ I told you not to drink!" He called out impetuously, breaking Albinus' concentration.

"Come now! I'm just about finished!" Albinus whined. "I need quiet around here!"

Phineas shifted his face and stared dourly at Jeffrey. "It's alright, Al! I need to take five anyway, my toes are cramping up."

He wriggled them and rubbed his calves. He smirked at Jeffrey. "Well, look who it is! The kid in the barber pole shirt and shoes!" He laughed. "So, you decided to come back and apologize, _huh?"_

Sura approached Albinus. "I can't believe you got him drunk! You know how potent Pompeii wine is."

Albinus stared at her innocently. "He only drank _two_ goblets! He's not _drunk, _but I tell you, after that first one he was as giddy as a vestal virgin breaking her chastity vows! Don't blame me. Besides, he needs some more, I _want_ him to be a little intoxicated." He snapped and his slave poured more. Phineas picked it up and swigged half of it down.

"That's the stuff!" He wiped his mouth sloppily.

"Why? So he could fall and hit his head on a slab of marble!"

"My sculpture has to be _nude,_ but he insists on wearing the darn subligar! I figured a few more drinks and off it would come!"

"Albinus, sometimes I detest you."

"It's for the sake of art I do these things! Oh! For the life of me, I can't work with these Plebian amateurs!"

Jeffrey ignored the bickering between the covetous Romans and marched to the podium. He looked up, as if ready to defy a Roman god. Pliny stayed in the corner, and every so often glanced anxiously out the window at the mountain.

_"_You want_ me _apologize? You're the one who knocked me down outside! I'm trying to help save people! That's what we have to do! I figured it out; we need to make sure that Pliny and Sura get out of Pompeii."

Phineas rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. He nudged the helmet out of his way with his foot and wagged the sword near him. "You tempt me to use this cutlass!" Phineas pulled it back. "Here we go_ again _with your tales. What did I tell you about this before, boy?"

"They're not tales! I thought…" Jeffrey felt his tears coming, and he brushed them away aggravated. "I thought you finally _remembered_! Pliny said you wanted to see me. That you asked for me!"

_"Me…me…me!"_ Phineas stretched out his arms over his head. "Is that all you ever think about is yourself?"

Jeffrey felt extremely embarrassed in front of the onlookers. "Forget that! Either way, you have get down _now!_ There's no time to pose for Roman GQ! We need to get Pliny across the bay. I'm tired of saying it already to you blockheads! How many times do I have to tell you Vesuvius is going to erupt?"

Jeffrey felt like he wanted to erupt and his seething anger stunned everyone in the room. "Why don't grown ups ever listen to kids?" He yelled. "Didn't we clear this up with Voyager Wolfstein?"

Phineas rose heatedly and jumped down in front of him. He grabbed Jeffrey's collar. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, boy! I'm not an old man set in his ways!_ I _take care of you and _I_ make the decisions! This is just like you, isn't it? Always…_always_ thinking that _you_ know best! Like when you tried to free Harriet Tubman all by yourself and…and…when you went out on your own with Billy the Kid after I _specifically_ told you stay away from him? _Huh?_"

Phineas backed away from him in shock. "Jeffrey, no…I _don't _know those things! What did I just…? I don't know any of this! It can't be true!"

Jeffrey's tears fell. He grasped him tightly. "Bogg! Why are you fighting your own memories! Why don't you _want to_ remember me? His voice cracked with emotion. "_I need you!_ I need you to help me and _help them."_ He pleaded.

Phineas seized him and stroked his hair. He felt overwhelmed. What he had just told Jeffrey came out with little thought at all–As if he were already well acquainted with those events. He gazed up and swallowed his tears.

"I'm sorry, Jeffrey. I don't understand it, but I…I…I'll try and help you."

He looked around at the hapless servants and at Albinus, who tapped his foot impatiently with a brush in hand.

"Can we continue with this melodrama another day? Pompeii has the nicest amphitheater in Rome! You can put on the show there." He huffed.

"I believe the boy is right. I'm not sure how he knows these events are going to occur, but you all need to be prepared to leave this place as soon as possible! Better to be safe, than…than _sorry!"_

Phineas announced this with urgency. However, it didn't help that he let out a few gurgles and hiccups along with it. He suddenly remembered his crew mates on board mocking him, saying that with Phineas, _'Wine was the devil's potion!'_ The pounding headache from earlier returned.

Jeffrey stepped away with a deep smile. Phineas winked assuredly, even though he had no clue what to do next. Jeffrey's confidence in his partner was somewhat restored. Phineas didn't have his full memories back, but it was a start, and that was all he could hope for.

The silence in the room turned to scornful laughter. "You're right, Albinus!" One of his assistants called out. "The man can hold a pose, but he _can't_ hold his wine!"

"This is all nonsense! Phineas, _please,_ get back to your position, see, I made markers for you, so you wouldn't forget." Albinus tried to lead him away, but Phineas pulled out of his grip.

"I'm sorry, Albinus. You got yourself many good sketches. The rest should be easy."

"But I wasn't finished! I wanted to get you from different angles and poses. Do a few more portraits." He pouted.

Phineas headed toward the dressing chambers to gather his clothing. "I _can't_ stay. And if you ever want this statue to see the light of day, you'll…" Phineas shoved Jeffrey to the center of the room for dramatic effect. "You'll heed this boy's words, gather whatever is most dear to you and hoof it to the shoreline!"

-Oo-

Sura felt very ashamed for doubting Jeffrey. She made a firm resolve to do all she could to help him and Phineas. Her master Bucco worked for the Governor of Pompeii. If she could somehow get permission to speak to him, he had the clout to convince the Governor to evacuate the city. She fled from the villa unnoticed.

Sura did not make it very far before she was cornered by a tall, red-haired man named Caninus, he was the most trusted slave to Bucco. Caninus was greedy and a terrible show-off. He relished in his privileges and to Sura's dismay, had his eye upon her for marriage. He demanded she live with him contubernium, but she often refused. Sura felt it was beneath her to not have her marriage recognized by legal means and it angered her that the children she bore would be born into slavery too. Her constant refusals incensed him.

Caninus grabbed her arm forcefully. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. I've made my decision, I've decided to marry _you."_

Sura tried to wrench free, but he only held tighter.

"How dare you just come up to me out of nowhere demanding marriage! I wouldn't marry you if you were the last slave on earth! I have no time for this. I must talk to Bucco." She struggled.

"Bucco is taking his afternoon bath and will not be disturbed. He told me to find you and get on with it! There's no need for his approval as you tried to lie to me!"

Caninus drew Sura closer and grasped her face, while his other hand clenched tightly on her arm. "Marriage or no, I will not be denied any longer!" In a heated frenzy, Caninus dragged her toward an isolated alley under a stone archway.

"Caninus let me go! You don't understand! Vesuvius is going to explode! You must leave this city. I have to warn our master! Caninus! _No! Help me!"_ Sura screamed loudly as he pushed her against a wall.

-Oo-

Phineas was finally able to leave the art villa, despite the sculptor's intense pleas for him to stay. He was tempted with the promises of money, women and his _own_ villa, but he realized none of that would matter if the city were to be ruined. He didn't belong in this country, and he felt deep down that he didn't belong in this period of time. He had no idea where he belonged. He stormed forward, with Jeffrey running to keep up.

"Bogg! Slow down, do you even know where you're going?"

"No I don't! Do you know?"

"We have to go back and convince Pliny to leave! He can't die! That's why the omni is red!"

"What about Sura?"

Just as he asked, he noticed a scuffle from an alleyway and heard a woman screaming.

_"Help me! Please! Le me go! Stop it!"_

"That's her! That's Sura! She's in trouble!"

Phineas ran to the mouth of the alley. Sura lay cowering on the cobbled ground and a man was attempting to molest her. Phineas pummeled himself into the man's shoulder, sending him careening against the opposite wall.

"How dare you! You scurvy dog!"

Caninus caught his bearings and lunged for Phineas. "Get away from here foreigner! This has nothing to do with you!"

Phineas ducked and Caninus stumbled, nearly tripping up. "I _will_ interfere when you try to abuse a woman's honor!"

Caninus spat at him. "Abuse _what?_ She's no woman! She's a slave, fit for no more than pleasure…_my_ pleasure!"

"You foul miscreant!"

Phineas drew back his fist and socked Caninus in the jaw. Caninus threw himself at Phineas in an attempt to wrestle him to the ground. Phineas rammed his head against his stomach and they staggered in a fierce circle, clawing and grappling one another.

"You will not have her!" Phineas shouted.

"Yes I will!"

Sura crawled toward the wall and rose up. She had to quell the fighting and she bravely attempted to pull Caninus away.

"Get off of him, Caninus! _Leave us alone!"_

"Get away from me you courtesan!"

Caninus tore out of Phineas' grasp and then shoved her, hitting her face in the process. Sura cried out and clutched her cheek.

Phineas furiously rammed his fists against Caninus' waist. _"_Now you _hit _women as well? _Caninus!_ You _are_ a dog! Well guess what!" He snarled, scrunching Caninus' toga robes into a tight knot and yanking him inches from his face. "I _hate_ dogs!"

Phineas gave him another punch, which sent him flat on his back and knocked the wind from him. Phineas hung back, panting. Jeffrey ran over to him.

"Alright, Bogg! That showed him! Awesome fight!"

Phineas wiped his nose and mouth; the 'dog' had gotten in a few surprise punches, however nothing severe enough to cause permanent damage to his face.

"I don't condone this, but…but a Voyager never runs from a fight!" He pumped his fist in the air and then lowered it slowly. He had finally acknowledged that he was indeed, a Voyager. Sura pulled him in a hug.

"Thank you, Phineas! You are a hero! And I do believe that the gods have sent you and Jeffrey to save Pliny and myself! Now you must get to your right mind and believe it as well!" She smiled serenely.

Phineas couldn't answer her. He was jolted by a memory of a large, imposing classroom, with an odd British man in a flowing colorful scarf. He was standing in front of a black board filled with all sorts of equations. Phineas remembered he was bored to tears, and had his head down in his arms. Still, he kept his eyes frontward, lest he get reported to an old man named Garth. Sura entered the room,her pale hair cascading behind her and in a long dress, similar in fashion to the one she presently wore, but more sensible. He had raised his head for the first time during that session and she grinned just the same as now, with deep, lovely dimples.

She walked nervously down the aisle and when he winked, she blushed. For the rest of the semester all he could do was gawk at her profile and long, ivory toned legs that peeked out from underneath her dresses. And he remembered seeing a tiny mole…not on her upper lip as he once fibbed to Jeffrey, but somewhere on her inner thigh. It was a source of major distraction. He didn't think he ever saw her in pants like the other woman in class, Olivia Dunne. Every day Olivia wore her khakis and denims, and every day she argued and picked fights with him over nonsensical things. It was her way of showing affection, and he was on to it, but she wore him out. Olivia was attractive, but a constant thorn in his side, but not Sur…Sus…

"_Susan!_ You're Susan from my Time Mechanics and Voyager Ethics classes! What are you doing here in Ancient Pompeii?" Phineas blurted out excitably.

Jeffrey and Sura stared at him thunderstruck.

"I'm not Susan, I live here." She said reflectively. "At least for now, the gods are giving me purpose!"

"Bogg, are you back? Do you remember me?" Jeffrey jumped up and down.

Phineas stared at him and his eyes brimmed over. "Jeffrey…Jones…1982, I crash landed in your room. It's…it's all _my_ fault!"

Phineas held his mouth and paced in circles, trying to make sense of the sudden onslaught of memories. "_I_ did it! I'm the reason you're time traveling! You didn't find me! I found you! We've been doing this for a while, haven't we?"

"Yeah, Bogg! A year! You're getting it!"

Phineas' expression darkened and he kicked at some debris. "But it's wrong! I'm a pirate! I know I am!"

"You _were,_ Bogg, not any more." Jeffrey consoled him.

"I feel all scattered inside my head, I don't know what's real or not."

Caninus groaned and staggered up. He covered the black and blue forming over his right eye and carefully touched a swelling lump on his forehead.

"You will pay severely for this, Sura! I will make sure Bucco knows what a traitorous woman you are! Just you wait! All of you!" He scampered from the alley, a little fearful of another beating from Phineas.

Sura shook her head. "Nothing will happen to me! Jeffrey, this is becoming clear now. You called me Susan, now Phineas has called me Susan. I'm sorry, Jeffrey. I do believe you. I left because I was trying to get help from my master, the Governor can evacuate the city!"

Jeffrey stared at them both gravely. "_No!_ He can't. Whatever happens…happens, there's no changing it. We still have to save Pliny!"

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Phineas blurted out. "Let's get back to that boy so we can leave with this omni _thingamabob."_

As they exited the alley, they saw Caninus talking to a pair of Roman guards, and he pointed in their direction. Phineas grabbed Jeffrey's arm.

"On second thought, kid, we need to make a run for it! Now!"

Phineas and Jeffrey took off and Sura followed, afraid to be left alone with Caninus' wrath. They didn't make it very far before they were surrounded.

"_Halt_ foreigners! We were told that you beat and robbed a man in the alley!" One of them went up to Phineas and roughly pulled the omni off his belt.

"Hey, you give that back! That's my property!"

Another guard threatened him with a sword. "No! This is the property of Bucco the Patrician, Client to Governor Cassius Felix! He was sending it with Caninus to present as a gift to the Governor, before you deliberately attacked him."

"I tell you that's mine! He's a liar! I don't know that man! He was trying to hurt a woman and I stopped him!" Phineas insisted, grabbing for it. The guard shoved him hard and he knocked into Jeffrey. Phineas pulled Jeffrey out of harm's way.

"You are to be taken outside the city to a villa and shackled until we decide what to do with you! This is a _Capital_ crime!"

Sura pleaded with the soldiers. _"No!_ Please! He's done nothing wrong! He tried to protect me from Caninus!"

"Now why would a woman need protection from her husband?" The guard sneered. He tossed Caninus the omni. "That man struck your face."

"He did no such thing! Caninus hit me!"

The guard ignored her pleadings. "Take her and go home, slave! You've disturbed this peaceful province enough already." He warned Caninus.

"What about my boy!" Phineas suddenly shouted. "What are you going to do to him?"

"_Please!_ He's a young apprentice to Albinus the Sculptor. He came from the Bay of Naples with his cousin Pliny!" Sura lied desperately. Caninus grabbed her hand and yanked her away.

"Hush your mouth! Now you come with me!"

"Take him to Pliny!" Sura cried out as Caninus stormed off with her.

"Sura! _No!_ You let her go you dog!" Phineas yelled and struggled.

The older guard wiped the sweat off his brow and pulled Jeffrey away from Phineas.

"No, leave me alone! I want to be with Bogg!"

"I'm taking you back to your cousin, boy. If you have anything to say to your friend here, say it _now, _because this will be the last time you ever see him again."


	6. Escapes

**Voyagers!: Frozen in Time  
**

**Chapter six: Escapes**

The guards led Phineas outside the city entrance, where yet another Roman villa majestically stood in place as a holding jail for prisoners and unruly slaves. They dragged him down a long hall until they came to an iron door. Phineas spied where the older one kept the key ring upon his uniform.

"Unhand me! I am not a thief! I did not steal that device, it belongs to me!"

"We'll see what Bucco has to say on that! He may decide to be lenient. But he is not known for that. I predict as of sundown you will be killed!"

"Over what? Protecting a lady's virtue? Where's my boy?"

Phineas was slapped and thrust into the room. he hunched low, narrowly missing bumping his head on the low ceiling. The guard attempted to place shackles upon his wrists. Phineas charged at him and tried to wrestle him down. The heavy armor shielded Phineas' blows and he was pushed off after some effort. The guard opened a covering on the ground, and grabbing him by the back of the neck. He tossed Phineas down a twelve-foot hole. Phineas landed face first, throwing out his hands just in time to break the fall. He groaned and forced himself not to gag from the vile stench that permeated the little room. The only light source came from above. The guard leaned down furious.

"I will see that your penalties are even more severe for that maneuver! Forget about the boy, he's no longer a concern. Now stop your yelling and keep still, or else I will run my pilium through your heart!" He reached down and shook the weapon near Phineas' chest. Phineas backed away as much as he could and remained silent.

_'All I've done on this voyage is forget about the boy. He somehow needs me.' _He thought determined.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness. He noticed bone fragments with tattered cloth and skulls in the far corner and by his boots. He shook his head wearily, then opened his right hand to release the pressure on his fingers from squeezing the guard's iron keys. If he didn't escape successfully, this would surely be his tomb.

-Oo-

The Roman guard banged loudly on Albinus' villa. "Open up! By order of the Governor!"

Albinus came to the door upset and covered in clay specks. "What do you want? I just lost the most perfect male specimen in the world! Don't _even_ mention the Governor to me." He stared at Jeffrey hopefully. "Where is he, boy? What happened? Make him come back and pose!"

The guard shoved Jeffrey inside. "That man is not returning, Albinus! He is a thief and is sentenced to death!"

Jeffrey stared at him horrified. "Bogg is not a thief! That dog man is! You can't kill him!"

"We have orders to keep Pompeii free of rabble rousers like you and your friend. Now where is this cousin of yours?"

"Cousin? What cousin?" Albinus asked, downhearted.

"The man called Pliny!"

Albinus scratched his head. "This boy is of no relat…"

_"Jeffrey! _There you are!" Pliny trudged to the villa. "I've been searching everywhere for you! I heard what happened, _cousin!_ Why must you always run off on such wild adventures?" He gazed sharply at Albinus and the melodramatic artist kept quiet.

"Excuse me, people. I have to tend to my clay. It's over-baking." He raised his robes off the ground and stomped back inside.

Pliny held Jeffrey's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Come, cousin. We have lots of work to do if we are to help Albinus with this statue for the Coliseum!"

The guard eyed him suspiciously, but then released Jeffrey to his custody. It was just hitting high noon, the hottest time of day, and he was starving. He removed his helmet and wiped his forehead for the fifth time.

"His friend beat up Bucco's most trusted slave and stole his property. I believe the boy was being used for his illegal gain and will hold no charge against him. I'm warning you, Pliny, keep him out of trouble."

"Yes, sir!" He pushed Jeffrey into the villa before he could protest further. "Enjoy your luncheon, sir."

Albinus repositioned his easel. "I have no time for your wild escapades, Pliny. I have work to finish! It's a good thing I sketched his entire form out and one portrait. At least I can work with that! A shame a man that beautiful is nothing more than a common thief."

Pliny nudged Jeffrey to keep his defense to himself. He took him to another room and shut the door. "Don't listen to Albinus. He's always raving about something or other. It's never personal. We haven't much time."

Jeffrey glanced up surprised. "What do you mean? You believe me?"

"About the eruption? I'm not so sure…but I meant time for your friend! Justice is swift here in Pompeii; they may not even bring his case up to a judiciary. We'll have to break him out, then I can get him safely across the bay of Naples."

Jeffrey slumped with relief. "Good! But first, we have to get our device back from Caninus and help Sura. Please Pliny, it's very important."

Pliny paced the room lost in thought. "Caninus took her to his slave quarters for…well, he's made her his contubernium bride, I followed them!"

Jeffrey was impressed with Pliny. He thought and acted like a true Voyager. "Wow, that's great! But how do we get the omni?"

"Omni? Is that the name of your device from the gods?" He suppressed a smile.

"Yes! That's what it is, and Bogg and I need it to leave Rome."

"Very well. We'll try."

"Can't we just ambush Caninus and knock him out?"

"We need to get inside first. But I know where his window is, that should be enough. Wait a minute, _knocked out,_ you say? Albinus has just the thing!"

Pliny ran to a marble medicine cabinet and rifled through jars of potions. "I know it's here somewhere."

"What are you doing with all that gunk?"

"Albinus sometimes uses these drugs on some of his more _obstinate _models like your friend was. He employs it especially when he needs a form in repose and they are wide-awake, and sometimes drinks for his own pleasure and parties."

"_Jeesh,_ no wonder he's so juiced." Jeffrey said wryly.

"He taught me how to dispense the proper amount…here we are! Mandrake potion. If I could get Sura to drop some in his wine, Caninus will be a sleeping dog! It's an aphrodisiac, but if we give him too little, he'll just be in more wild passion for her."

Jeffrey felt against the idea. _"Um, _I don't know, Pliny. Isn't that stuff like a poison?"

"Only if you're not careful with it. Trust me, I'll only take what's needed."

"Okay, but hurry!"

Jeffrey let Pliny take control. At this point, without the omni and without Bogg, he felt very lost. He looked toward Vesuvius, knowing it was not his imagination that heavy vapors and a dark cloud started to form around it. Within a few minutes, Pliny had an effective serum prepared.

-Oo-

With the shackles off, Phineas' next obstacle was to get out of the hole. To his relief, the guard had not sealed it shut. Taking the shackles, he swung them in large circular motions a few times and flung it up and out, hoping to wrap the chains around something solid. This went on for about five minutes. He was ready to give up after fifteen minutes, near exhaustion and sweltering. But the chain finally latched onto something.

"Whatever that is better hold out! I can do the rest!"

He secured his boots against the wall and struggled to climb. Upon reaching the opening, he thrust his body forward and grabbed hold of the edge of the stone. He lifted himself and jumped away, feeling wobbly. He held his head.

"I need a long nap! My brain is spinning out of control."

He slammed down the dungeon grate, then ran to the iron door and tested each key. There were four on the ring. The final key unhinged the lock. Phineas opened the door, and peered down either side of the extensive hall. Voices traveled in his direction.

_"He's in here, Fabius, shackled in the cellar. I say we kill him and be done with it. Nobody but the slaves know who he is. He's a foreigner. I don't want to hear Bucco's complaints that justice was not served. He'll have our jobs with the Governor." _The younger man complained.

_"So impetuous, Aelious! But you do have a point. Bucco is highly regarded at the forum in Rome."_

Phineas positioned himself against the door and timed his escape. "5, 4, 3, 2…_bama!"_

He forced the heavy door open as wide and fast as he could, slamming it into Fabius and knocking him into the wall. Fabius doubled over and grabbed his nose in pain. Phineas rushed out, and narrowly missed being speared in the heart by Aelious. He grabbed the spear from the center with both hands, and swung Aelious to the left and right until the guard was forced to release his weapon and he tripped onto his knees. Phineas shot his leg out from behind and kicked Fabius when he attempted to tackle him. Phineas dove for the spear and waved it around.

"You, boy! Give me your clothes and armor, now! And you, old man, get inside this room before I mop the deck with ya!" He warned.

The guards rose slowly and did as they were told.

"Very good, now kick the armor toward me!" He poked Aelious.

Aelious kicked the armor in his direction.

"Now move slowly, hands where I can see em'! Up higher! Get in that room with the old man and stay there!"

"You will be caught and thrown to the lions!" Aelious shouted as Phineas slammed the iron door. He kept his body against it and locked it tight.

Phineas paid their muffled shouts no mind as he removed his garments and put on the weighty armor. The bright metal was hot against his skin and the red woolen tunic scratched him. He adjusted the bristle top helmet.

"What are they thinking with this manner of fashion, a soldier is gonna stand on his head and sweep up the floor? _Nonsense!"_

Phineas was about to make a hasty retreat when he felt a pang of guilt. He took the key ring and tossed it beside the door. If anyone came to rescue these two, they might at least have a chance of escaping the eruption. With his original attire tucked safely under his arm he ran out to his freedom. He looked at his clothing again.

"I'm going to miss you, old boots and vest!" He said. "But there's no way I can come back for you here in Pompeii. You'll be petrified." He dumped the clothing safely behind a set of bushes just in case he had a chance to return, and took off to find Jeffrey.

-Oo-

Sura reluctantly put on her gown after finishing up her water bath, steam bath, and oil rub. It was time to meet Caninus in his chambers to seal their wedding vows. The very thought repulsed her.

"Just pretend…pretend it's…_Phineas!"_ She imagined on a whim and then held her hot cheeks. "Pretend _nothing!_ I want to get out of here and I will!" She said firmly.

She marched to Caninus' room. He lay sprawled on his divan stripped down to his subligar and sipping wine. His bruises and scrapes had been tended to, but he couldn't hide the large one around his eye. She almost chuckled. Phineas was the first man who ever fought Caninus and won.

"You're finally here and you look a vision! Lock that door behind you." He demanded with a flick of his hand. Sura obeyed and then rushed to his side.

"Caninus, why do you even pretend that you're royalty? You're nothing but a common slave like me! What you did today was reprehensible!" Sura saw the omni resting on a velvet red pillow atop a marble bust. Caninus laughed and patted the divan.

"Don't defy me anymore, Sura. You can't win. If I'm a common slave, then you are far _beneath_ me. Remember that!" His gaze darkened, and he took hold of her arm when she hesitated. As she was about to sit, she noticed two male faces peeking in through the window facing the garden. It was Pliny and Jeffrey. She jumped up.

"Caninus! I'm extremely hot in here, would you mind if I opened your window?"

"Hot? You just came from a bath, I wouldn't want you to catch sick." He stroked her hair and neck and she shrugged away from him.

"No, of course not, but you know how those steam baths are. I'll just be a moment."

Sura rushed to the window and waved her hand for them to duck. Caninus popped grapes impatiently. She opened the pane and lowered her head, pretending to examine the sprightly garden.

"I need to get out of here!" She whispered.

Pliny raised his hand and passed her the vial. "Mandrake potion! Hurry and use it, I made it extra potent! It may take up to ten minutes though. Depending on his constitution."

"Thank you, Pliny!"

"Sura! Where's the omni? I need it!" Jeffrey demanded. "We're running out of time!"

"He has it on a display."

"Okay, give him three minutes and then when he's lightheaded, pass the omni to us. We'll wait here." Pliny decided quickly.

Sura left the window ajar. She rushed to Caninus and behaved amorously. She pounced upon him and even dared to kiss him, then quickly pulled away.

"Now, you big, hunk of_ dog!_ Go to your bed. I'll pour us some more wine. I always appreciate a little wine before." She said sultry.

"Now you are seeing things my way!" Caninus grunted and stood up. He wrapped his hand around her waist and tugged her close. "Come! Forget the wine!"

Sura laughed and pushed him aside again. "I will not! Wine makes a…a man more virile!"

Jeffrey kept rising up to peek in. It was taking her too long. Pliny kept pulling him down.

_"Come on!_ This is just like with Bogg. We have work to do, you have to get home and Bogg and I need to…" He popped up again and noticed Sura bringing the wine tray over to the bed.

_"Good!_ Pliny, she must have dropped it in, she's giving it to him."

"Jeffrey! Please stay down. Someone else might see you; there are eyes all over. Just keep your mind on the hydrangea bushes!" He suddenly coughed and put a hand to his face.

"Jeffrey, did you happen to notice the air get hotter? It seems darker too."

"I don't think I can get any hotter. I should have snagged a toga." He said, airing out his shirt. "You're right." Jeffrey stumbled from his crouched position. _"Woah!_ Did you feel that, Pliny? It felt like a tremor."

Pliny's eyes widened and he gulped. "Yes, I did!"

They heard a sharp knock from the window and Sura's hand hung down with the omni. Jeffrey smiled and grabbed it from her.

"Thank you! Did it work that quick?"

"Not exactly, but he suddenly got called away to perform a duty for Bucco. Now what?"

"Now I have to…" Jeffrey had a sharp realization. Sura needed to escape this devastation too, otherwise she would never become a Voyager, and Bogg was still trapped in the prison. He grabbed Pliny's shoulders. He couldn't be everywhere at once and had to trust his friends here.

"Pliny! _You_ have to get Bogg out of that prison!" He handed him the omni. "Take this and give it to him." He said gravely. "Tell him he has to leave, and to do that, he should turn the dial and push the button on the top."

"Good! I'm on it!"

Jeffrey grabbed his arm before he could take off. "Wait! This part is very important! Wherever he goes, a red light is wrong history, and a green light means it's good, he doesn't have to fix it. But _you _have to be on the boat and out of here! Once that happens, the light will be green again."

Pliny stared confused at the bronze compass. He was tempted to open it. "I'll give it to him, but you both have to leave with me now."

"I'll stay with Sura and help her get out, just find him!"

Pliny jumped at the urgency in his voice. "Very well! If we all showed up at the prisons, it would be highly suspicious. My small boat is docked at the forefront of the Marina. While I get him out, you go to the boat. I can sneak him off in there."

"Great! We'll all escape this together!"

Pliny hugged Jeffrey and ran. Jeffrey stared apprehensively and his heart hammered in his chest. Was this how Phineas would have handled it? Pliny had to get to safety no matter what and he was the only one who could reasonably get Phineas out of the prison. Maybe he had made a mistake. Jeffrey was so lost in thought; he didn't realize that Sura climbed out the window beside him.

"By the time Caninus gets through with his chore, he will be so woozy he won't know what struck him."

"Sura, I don't know what's supposed to happen but I know the Voyagers must take you. I don't even know why I gave Pliny that omni." He sputtered and covered his face.

"I don't want Bogg to die! I love him! He might be locked away in a dirty dungeon and if he can't get out…" Jeffrey rubbed his eyes. "But he can with the omni! He can escape and come back for me…maybe…_aww no!_ He barely remembers me! He won't remember this date, I ruined everything!"

He controlled a deep, emotional shudder, resigning to his fate if that happened. "I don't care! Bogg's the _real _Voyager! He needs to live!"

Sura hugged him. "Jeffrey, you are the most noble boy I have ever met. Pliny will find him and he will give him that compass! Come on, let's leave now. We'll _all _make it."

Sura and Jeffrey ran off and the grounds beneath them quaked.


	7. The eruption

**Voyagers!: Frozen in Time  
**

**Chapter 7: The eruption**

If Phineas hadn't been so intent on getting back to Albinus' villa on the opposite side of the city, he would have noticed the tremors that passed underfoot. He prodded his way through the busy streets, when he suddenly felt them. They started off slow, and then the land rumbled.

"I've been in earthquake situations before…the ground is not shaking…no, it's not an earthquake! It can't be, the boy never said that happened!" He shouted, nearly tripping.

The people grew frightened and reached for their children. The street vendors tried their best to protect their wares as the carts tilted and crashed to the ground. It seemed every house and pillar was rocked to its foundations. Something terrible was about to occur. Phineas averted his gaze toward Vesuvius.

"Oh God, the boy _was_ right! Run! _Run!"_ He started shouting to the people and waving the pilium. "Run for the water! Run for safety!"

Phineas looked very much like a Roman guardsman and many actually heeded him. However, the tremblors soon calmed.

_'What am I doing?'_ He thought_. 'I'm causing more panic and people will be trampled!'_

Through the tumultuous crowds of people, he heard a voice calling out, but it wasn't Jeffrey. He saw Pliny gasping and running to catch up with him.

"Phineas, I found you! It's a miracle! You escaped! You are surely working for the gods!" Pliny choked and fell against him, having never run so far and speedy before in his life. His body quivered from the exertion.

"Pliny! Easy friend! Relax." Phineas dragged him under a shaded area by a small water fountain and splashed his reddened face. "Take deep breaths."

Pliny dunked his face into the fountain and slurped up water. He cautiously reached into the folds of his toga and pulled out the omni.

"Jeffrey wanted me to give this to you. You must leave. He said it's the only way for you to escape! We found Sura; my boat is on the shoreline outside where you were captured. They will meet us!"

"Where is Jeffrey? I have to find him!"

"He was at the home of Caninus when I left him. There is panic in the streets. You may never find him, but I can help you. I'll take you back in that direction!"

Phineas was all geared to go when he suddenly reflected on Jeffrey's earlier pleas. He opened the omni lid and the dastardly red light still buzzed. He snapped it shut. Jeffrey had left it entirely up to him to save Pliny and deep down that's what Phineas knew he had to do before all else. It was part of something called a Voyager's…

"Voyager's Honor! _The Voyager's code!_" He took Pliny's arm before he could go leave.

"What? _Voyagers?_ What's that? What code do you speak of?"

"Never mind, it's…it's something only people that work for the gods can know." Phineas said. "Come! I'll go with you to the boat. If the plan was to meet, then Jeffrey and Sura will be there."

Pliny waved his hands around frightened. "I certainly hope so! Something big is going to happen! I know that now. The air is so dense; And the earthquakes, it's not over, is it?"

"No, it's not. We must move now!"

Phineas slowed his pace to allow Pliny to keep up. It took them a while, trying to maneuver past throngs of curious onlookers. A number of those initially frightened by the rumblings went back to their daily business, confident the threat had passed. Earthquakes were common among the towns like Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum and this was surely a tremor and nothing more. Phineas observed with a heavy heart. There was no more to be said or done that could help the inhabitants. It was now all about survival for Pliny, Jeffrey, Sura, and hopefully, himself.

Phineas helped Pliny untie his boat. Jeffrey and Sura were nowhere to be found.

"We must wait for your little friend and the slave girl." Pliny explained.

Phineas agreed, but decided to check his omni device again. He did what he had to do by getting Pliny to safety, but the red light told him otherwise. He closed it frustrated.

"Pliny! You go in your boat and get yourself across. I'll wait here."

Pliny looked at him wide-eyed. "I cannot do that! You may never make it in time, you'll all be killed."

Phineas clasped the omni tight, and found a secure hold on the waistline of his uniform to clip it. If this machine did what Jeffrey claimed, they wouldn't die.

Pliny stepped into the boat and then groaned. "Oh the gods! This boat is not big enough for the four of us, is it?"

"From what I could tell, you could fit two–maybe three the most. In that case, you take Sura and Jeffrey with you. The kid is still a runt."

Pliny snapped his finger. "I have a better idea! My uncle has tons of ships! You could come across with me; it's not a very long trip at all. I was staying at my sister's home. You'll be back and forth in no time, and perhaps you could save more people. My uncle is a fleet commander, and will surely want to be a part of this rescue mission."

Phineas agreed and climbed into the vessel. He and Pliny both grabbed an oar and paddled as hard as they could across the sparkling blue sea. The exertion helped Phineas clear his mind. For some reason, he wasn't concerned about protecting Pliny's uncle. Pliny the Elder went across to Pompeii to rescue friends and quench his amazingly curious nature, but he died for all his troubles. Did Jeffrey actually tell him that, or was it something he learned in that crazy time travel school he attended? He cursed the gaping holes in his memory and hoped that after this voyage he would come back to his right mind.

"The tremors have stopped. That's very odd. There's nothing happening. I wonder exactly _when _this will occur?" Phineas asked Pliny as they neared the middle of the sea between Pompeii and Misenium. "Aw heck, better safe then sorry."

"There have been other false alarms, maybe we should just…"

Phineas didn't have to wonder for much longer. There was an ear-splitting crack, and within seconds the top of Vesuvius blew off. Both men shouted and tossed their paddles into the boat and ducked for cover. Frantic screams erupted from both islands. An enormous amount of ash, gas, and rocks spewed nearly a hundred thousand feet into the air and steaming lava rolled down the sides of the volcano.

"The god of fire is angry! Apparently, we did not please him well enough yesterday during Vulcanalia!" Pliny shouted fearfully. "He is going to destroy us all!"

"These greedy gods are never satisfied, are they?" Phineas called back.

When the imminent danger of being struck by flying rocks and volcanic debris passed, Phineas lowered his arms and raised his head slowly. He shook Pliny's leg.

"Look! The sky is black as night!" Phineas gasped. He suddenly remembered learning of this destruction, and it was definitely in the time travel school.

"That's a cloud of gas! It will soon pass over the city and…Oh no_! No!"_

Phineas abruptly stripped down to his subligar. Pliny grasped the edges of the boat to keep it from tipping over.

"Phineas! What are you doing, man? Are you crazy?"

"If I don't do this, I certainly will be!"

Phineas stood near the edge of the boat and gazed at Pompeii from the distance. The city was already in an uproar, and other boats dotted the waters as people attempted escape. Flakes of volcanic lapilli snowed down upon everyone and everything, growing denser by the minute. He opened the omni.

"A green light? Impossible."

A sharp realization struck him. Pliny's life was no longer in danger. He would live on to accomplish whatever it was he was known for in history. Phineas' eyes clouded with tears as he remembered the words of a certain Professor named Garth. Before making the decision to take his final oaths, Phineas had bluntly asked him if a Voyager could die in the field. He knew from other courses that yes, anyone could die, but he reasoned that Voyagers were special. They could turn back the hands of time instantaneously. There had to be a perk somewhere for them. The answer received was sobering, but it strengthened his resolve to have this purpose in life.

_"Voyagers are mortal, human like anyone else. A Voyager must do his best on every mission and avoid trouble and danger whenever possible. But this is a job of supreme sacrifice. Yes, Phineas, a Voyager can die, and even though we have the means, history must stay on course. There is no going back."_

Phineas wiped his eyes and pulled at his hair, distraught. "I'm going back." He mumbled.

"What?"

Phineas looked his way solemnly. "I said I'm going back. Otherwise, they won't make it. I _will_ save them. Goodbye Pliny, be safe!"

Pliny lunged forward. "Phineas, no! Wait!"

Phineas dove into the waters and waved at him a last time before dunking under. Pliny picked up his oars again, watching in awe as the brave young man fervently swam back to the doomed city. He would make it, but would he be able to reach his friends in time? He gazed at the skies again.

_"It looks like an umbrella pine tree…white…dirty in places…broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night."_

His mind reeled from the spectacle. If Jeffrey's predictions came true, Pompeii would soon cease to exist. He had to record this event for future generations.


	8. The end of Pompeii

**Voyagers!: Frozen in Time  
**

**Chapter 8: The end of Pompeii**

Jeffrey and Sura's escape was unsuccessful when they discovered that angry fellow slaves and friends of Caninus were tailing them. They were ambushed, but as they were being dragged back to face the wrath of Bucco, Mount Vesuvius intervened. The explosion stunned everyone in the city. People ran out of their homes and fell to the ground praying. For them, a day of reckoning had come.

The slave holding Jeffrey let him go and dropped to his knees. Sura elbowed the other slave in the chest and he toppled over from the quaking. Both men, fearing for their lives, left the area immediately. Jeffrey and Sura held each other and stared in the direction of the volcano. The steaming ash billowed throughout the sky, growing larger and more deadly. The bright orange lava poured out of the fissure and oozed a slow and destructive path toward the cities beneath Vesuvius.

"Jeffrey, I am truly sorry for ever doubting you! It has happened! What should we do?"

"We have to find Pliny by the water! He said they'd be there! I hope he was able to rescue Bogg!" Jeffrey shuddered. "Please, Sura, take me where they keep the boats!"

"Yes! I know the way to the Marina!"

They ran fast through the forums. Many inhabitants tried in vain to protect their wares and homes, but oddly, there were a majority that still went about their business. Sura stopped at a bakery, where the baker just finished placing over eighty loaves of bread into his ovens.

"_Modestus!_ Do you not see the calamity! Come on! You and your family have to escape!" She warned him.

"Calm Sura, this has happened before. I cannot just leave my foodstuffs! It will be all right. It will probably flow into the ocean. Sneeze sweetly, my dear."

Sura looked at him pained. "And you as well, Modestus!"

Jeffrey shook his head sadly, realizing that many were still eating, drinking and carrying on. Families with children were unfazed, and enjoyed their noon meal. Jeffrey's gaze traveled toward the clouds again. The patch of black soot and fumes grew bigger and closer. He choked as the lapilli snowed down. To his surprise, some people raced through the streets, waving it around. They found it funny and exciting.

"Sura! Please! We have to go! The gas in the air will poison us! Trust me!"

Jeffrey couldn't wait while she tried to warn everyone she met in the streets. It was a noble gesture on her part, but it would not be of any use. He tugged on her dress and dragged her away. All of a sudden, there was more rumbling beneath the earth.

"There's a landslide and lava coming down!"

"Oh no! Jeffrey, the outskirts of the city are not much farther."

Jeffrey's breathing felt labored with each step he ran. He was tiring out and Sura stopped running altogether. She leaned against a marble pillar and doubled over from a stitch in her side.

"Jeffrey, I need a moment! I have never run so much before. My feet are getting scraped and my chest feels constricted." She wheezed.

"It's not just that, Sura. There's a heavy gas fume in the air and its going to blow straight for us. That's what kills a lot of the people here! Oh no, I don't even know if we have a green light!"

"A green light?"

"On the omni, the time travel device. If the light is green, that means we fixed something important in this part of history." He explained breathlessly. It was becoming harder to speak and Jeffrey cupped his hand over his nose and mouth to try and preserve fresh air. Sura was dizzy and slid down the pillar.

"Jeffrey, it's not much further. _Go!_ Leave me here. I can't make it."

Jeffrey stomped his foot and grabbed her arm. "No! I can't leave you here! You will make it! You have to, Susan! You're a Voyager!"

"If your gods want me, they will surely take me!"

Jeffrey stubbornly pulled her again, but she sank back exhausted. "Please, Jeffrey, go! Find Phineas!"

Crowds of people raced past and Jeffrey was compelled to join them, but Sura wouldn't move. Suddenly, the pillar shifted from an unexpected earthquake. Houses down the entire forum shook and crumbled. Jeffrey wished he could cover his ears to block the wails of people struck down in their own homes and those caught under falling buildings. He looked up frightened. They were not safe either. Jeffrey pulled her to her feet just as the marble cracked and split down the center. The whole structure was ready to collapse.

"Come on! We have to run!"

"I'll only hold you up, Jeffrey!"

Jeffrey rushed her forward and they made it out of that danger zone, but then he realized Sura's hand slipped out of his. When he looked back, she had fainted.

"No! Sura! _Wake up!_ Wake up, _Susan!"_ He screamed.

There was no way he could carry her, but he tried mightily to lift her and he dragged her body away from the stampeding crowds of people and falling rocks and stones. The lapilli and ash almost blinded him and the sun was blackened as the cloud descended upon the trapped inhabitants. Jeffrey struggled for air.

"No! Wake up! You can't die!"

The building they had rested under came crashing down in heaps of white dust and rubble. Jeffrey attempted to shield Sura from the flying stones and was pelted on his arms and back. He fell over her.

"Help! _Help us!"_ He cried out desperately. He was forced to put his shirt over his nose and mouth and keep his head covered.

It was crazy to think that anyone would hear him over the scorching landslide. Everyone who wasn't trapped and crushed by the fallen buildings screamed and curled up into what would become their final poses. Jeffrey wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he noticed a bright flash of white light envelop him and Sura, and then abruptly, he was all alone. The Voyagers had finally taken her.

Jeffrey weakly raised his hand out, but he couldn't even keep his face up. The streams of ash and volcanic cinders were filling the town like snowdrifts in a mighty blizzard. Pretty soon, he would be covered over and indistinguishable from the rubble.

"Please, please help me! Bogg! Bogg!" Jeffrey cried for his best friend. "I need you!"

-Oo-

The grip was tight and reassuring. Strong, wiry fingers clasped his arm and he felt himself being pulled close to someone who smelled of seawater and ash. Jeffrey gazed up and saw Phineas, soaked and stripped down to the skin, but unharmed. He held Jeffrey tight and looked at the omni.

"It's green! We did it! Pliny's safe!" Phineas shouted hoarsely. His leg and arm muscles burned from the vigorous swim and race through the city, his entire body shook, but he disregarded any pains. He had found his boy.

"I had to come back! I couldn't leave you, Jeff!"

Jeffrey wrapped his arms around Phineas and shielded his face from the onslaught of hot ashes. "Do it Bogg! Get us out of here! Please! _NOW!_"

Phineas pushed the tiny button on the top of the device and in that instant they were no longer in the midst of an eruption. For brief seconds that could have been hours, they soared through outer space and vivid colored cosmos. They passed through the fabric of time itself, and then their flying slowed. Phineas glanced down. The sky and then the ground came up fast, but gravity kicked in and the extraordinary drop was relegated to a ten-foot tumble into a decrepit marble pavilion with intricate mosaic flooring. Phineas sprawled on the cool floor with his limbs askew. His heart beat uncontrollably, but it comforted him to know he was still alive. He sat up with a distinct sensation. The confusion and headaches he had experienced all along were gone.

"I'm in my right mind! I'm Phineas Bogg! I'm a Voyager!" He shouted.

His deep voice reverberated through the eerie marble hallways. He heard a loud groan a few feet away and then remembered the tragedy.

"Oh no! Jeff! Jeffrey!"

Phineas crawled to his young partner and scooped him in his arms. Jeffrey's head lolled from side to side and he kept his eyes closed. Phineas hugged him to his chest.

"Oh God, please be okay. I'm so sorry! I tried to get there in time! I tried!" Tears streamed down his face. Jeffrey almost looked dead. Blood from cuts and scrapes stained through his clothes. Being covered from head to toe with a gray ash, he barely looked human. Phineas gently wiped it away and shook it out of his hair.

Phineas cradled Jeffrey and felt his body stir. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Bogg, Sura…Susan disappeared. She's a Voyager now, did we get out? Are we trapped? Where are we?"

"_Shh,_ don't try and talk too much yet, Jeff. Let me check the omni."

Jeffrey's eyes widened and he pulled back so he could look him in the face. "Bogg? You…you can read the omni? You know how?"

"September, 19th 1752. Southern Italy again, but it's a red light."

Jeffrey grinned widely despite his pains. "Bogg, are you back? Do you remember everything?"

"More than everything, Jeff. This voyage offset whatever happened to me in that last cosmic trip. My mind feels so free! I'm whole again!"

"Bogg, that's great! I thought it would never happen!_"_ Jeffrey burst into tears. "You really remember me and all our adventures?"

Phineas' heart went out to him. "Absolutely, Jeff! I can't believe that I could ever forget a great kid like you in the first place. I'm sorry."

But he _had_ forgotten. For a fleeting moment when the volcano erupted, Phineas had considered leaving the strange boy all to himself and not looking back. The thought of doing that now sickened him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and shifted Jeffrey in his arms. He steadied himself upon one knee and rose up. Shafts of daylight streamed into the area from a couple of rooms down. Phineas glanced at the flooring more. He had seen this all before–white, black and multicolored tiles patterned in all sorts of shapes; even the swastika design embellished many of the center squares.

"This…this is Albinus' villa! I remember his floor. I had to stare at it enough while he made me pose right…"

Phineas gaze traveled toward the center of the chamber and saw the remnants of the marble bust and weaponry he held for the sketches. Since it was buried for centuries, the quality of the artifacts had not deteriorated much over time.

"Right there. I was sitting on there." He murmured. "Amazing. There's the wine goblet and food."

Jeffrey roused again. "I'm think I'm better now, Bogg."

Phineas lowered him and glanced around. They were definitely back in Pompeii, only this time, buried more than twenty feet under rocks and hardened lava.

"Did you say this was 1752?"

"Yeah, but I don't think we're trapped, see that light? It looks like people have been down here already, it's almost like a mineshaft of excavated tunnels."

Jeffrey peered at the artifacts. "You're right. This is the eighteenth century and this is the time when they discovered buried cities and started collecting all the best artifacts for King Charles."

Phineas took hold of Jeffrey's arm when he felt him wobble.

"I think we need to get out of here, I'm feeling very stifled and I'm sure you are too. We need fresh air fast."

Jeffrey drew nearer to Phineas. Everything about Pompeii was now foreboding and oppressive. "Yeah I still feel all tight in my chest. Bogg, how did you get back? I thought you went with Pliny? Did you use the omni?"

"No, I didn't know I could do that. I managed to escape the dungeon and then, I…I swam, Jeff. We were halfway across the sea, but I beat the gas cloud and ashes. These old muscles never felt so good."

Jeffrey smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Bogg. I knew you could get out! But I told Pliny to tell you to leave, you could have been killed."

Phineas looked at him gently. "Do you really think I'm gonna listen to that nonsense? Even though I wasn't in my right mind, I decided I wasn't about to leave a young boy to die. Something inside me clicked. We're Voyagers, we make sacrifices for people in every time zone. And as partners, we have to do the same for each other. Remember way back on our first voyage, when I was about to take off after the Red Baron?"

"Yeah! You didn't want me to come with you."

"Right, but you said something so simple, and it always stuck with me."

"What did I say?"

"_You go, down, I go down._ I think it was at that moment I knew we were gonna work well together, and that somehow, you _had to_ be a Voyager. It just wasn't confirmed until the trial."

Phineas patted his back as they made their way through the ruins. "Now if only we could figure…"

A loud crash of metal and rocks shook the villa and they heard men shouting from outside the first open shaft. Phineas ran up ahead. He saw a group of excavators surrounding a giant iron winch that led down into a tunnel.

"The wheel is breaking! He will be crushed! He will fall to his death! Pull him up!" The group shouted. "Hurry!"

"Wait here, kid!" Phineas ran and then slid along the dirt. He grabbed hold of the taut wire that suspended a man halfway down.

"Where did you come from?" One asked in shock.

"Never mind that now! Keep your weight on the wheel, don't let it split!" Phineas commanded.

Two others knelt down and helped him lift, and the trapped excavator was brought up to safety. The moment the men released the wheel, it snapped in two places. They winch toppled over into the the tunnel.

The shaken man stood up and dusted off his pants and shirt. He grabbed Phineas' hand and shook it vigorously. "I certainly would have been crushed! Who are you? You're not one of my engineers? Where did you get the Roman dress?"

Phineas glanced down, he was still in the white subligar, sandals, and Roman belt from the armor he wore to escape the prison. Jeffrey ran over.

"Bogg, is he okay?"

"It's fine, Jeff. But um, we…"

"We were curious about the work going on here and we kind of snuck into the excavation area. We didn't mean any harm, we just wanted to know what was happening." Jeffrey explained hastily.

Phineas nodded sheepishly. "Yeah! We heard you discovered the ancient city of Pompeii. The boy's a real history buff, he had to come see for himself. Ya know how kids are."

"What happened to him! He's injured and covered in soot!" The excavator said, alarmed.

Jeffrey coughed and dusted himself off. _"Uhh,_ it was my fault. I took a fall in one of the tunnels." He pointed around. "Bogg got me out."

"You should have never come here. It's extremely dangerous. I've had workers fall in trenches and slip into pits of loose lapilli. That's what must have happened to you. Not to mention breathing in the mofeta!"

"What's mofeta?" Phineas asked.

"Pockets of gas from the volcanic debris, it contains huge amounts of a poisonous form of the element they are calling…carbon dioxide, I believe. It's a mixture of elements they say, sulfide and hydrogen. My men have hit those pockets before, and they must scramble for their lives! Once we had to shut down the excavation site for three months until the gas cleared."

Jeffrey snapped his finger. "That's what I smelled in Pompeii! _I mean_, I thought I smelled rotten eggs…back…_there._ Where I tripped._"_

"_Yes! _If I were you, I'd take that boy to get medical attention quickly. Breathing that gas in could be extremely deadly. Oh! This cannot happen! I can't afford another three month reprieve!" He paced nervously.

Phineas' fears were confirmed. "Thank you. I certainly will get him checked. But I didn't smell any gasses. I think your excavation is safe now."

The man eyed him up and down and stroked his blonde beard. "Don't wait too long. You know, from the looks of things, I'd say _you_ are very enticed by history. That costume is authentic."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's one of the statues come to life to rescue you, Weber!" One of the men called out and they all laughed.

"You actually do resemble that statue of Mars. Bernini the sculptor re-designed it in 1622. He had acquired some ancient sketches in Naples, where Pliny the Younger resided. The original was of fine artistry but very damaged. The sketches were very thorough and preserved. The sketches helped Bernini to reshape all the details on the form. He did an excellent job."

Phineas held back a laugh. If Pliny had the sketches, that meant that Albinus had managed to escape the devastation of Pompeii as well.

"Well, whaddya know about that?" Phineas smiled.

Jeffrey tapped his arm. And Phineas waved at the men. "Uh, excuse us, gentlemen. You can go back to your work. We'll be leaving!"

He turned and checked the omni, and was relieved it was a green light. Weber stopped him.

_"Wait!_ I can get you some real clothes. We can treat the boy for his injuries. If you're so fascinated by all this, I could always use a man with your strength on this team. If it weren't for your added strength that winch would have broken. One of my excavators came down with a bad cold. But the more hands the better if you stay, and the faster we'll unearth these villas."

"Um, I'm sorry, Mr. Weber. We really just wanted to peek at all the great work here. I have my own job that needs tending to."

"Bogg's a sailor." Jeffrey said.

"Okay then, but thank you very much for saving my life. *I feel reborn and re-invigorated to carry on now!" Weber turned aside and his focus went back to his maps and tunnels.

Phineas and Jeffrey walked a distance from the ruins. "What do you know about him, Jeff?"

"They called him _Weber._ I remember learning about a Swiss engineer named _Karl Weber_; he helped turn this dig into something more than grave robbing. He was like a forerunner for modern archeology."

"Oh, then we helped history along again. It's time to get a move on, and we have to get you to a doctor. I think I'll go a _little_ further into the future for that." Phineas stifled a yawn.

Jeffrey stared at him sympathetically. "Wait, Bogg. You're exhausted aren't you?"

"What? _Me?"_ Phineas shook out his arms and rolled his head from side to side. "I _never_ get tired!"

"Give it up, Bogg. I know when you're tired. I see it in your eyes. I'm wiped out too. Can't we just find a tree to nap under or something?" Jeffrey pleaded.

"Good idea! But I think we should see the doctor first. _Oh,_ and I also need to find some clothes real quick, or I'll probably just go back to 76AD and grab the stuff I left behind the bush."

Jeffrey clutched his hand, alarmed. "No, Bogg! We're never going back there ever again! Forget those old duds, they were ripping and tearing and they didn't smell so hot anyway. You'll find something else."

Phineas chuckled and rubbed Jeffrey's curls. "This really affected you didn't it? I'm sorry. It's only a bunch of ratty old pirate clothes. I'll miss 'em, but life goes on. Let's go find a place to relax and…"

Before Phineas could finish his sentence, a bright light swathed over them and they disappeared without touching the omni.


	9. Susan's musings

**Voyagers!: Frozen in Time  
**

**Chapter 9: Susan's musings**

The Voyagers landed with a soft thud in a padded room bathed in blue light. Phineas rubbed his head and groaned.

"Why _here?"_

"Why _where?"_ Jeffrey glanced around a little frightened.

"This place. It's a waiting room at Voyagers Headquarters. At least it was a comfy landing." Phineas patted down the cushioned floor. "If only we had it this soft on every drop."

Jeffrey edged closer to Phineas and held his arm unsteadily. Saliva built up in his mouth and his jaw quivered. "Bogg, I don't…I don't feel so good. I think I'm gonna puke!" He leaned his head down and grasped his stomach.

Phineas didn't get a chance to comfort him. An electronic door slid open and two medical personnel with golden 'V's emblazoned on the right breasts of their white uniforms rushed inside like foot soldiers. They immediately pulled Jeffrey from Phineas' grasp and put him on a stretcher, strapping him down. They made him drink water and swallow two red pills and then administered fresh oxygen into his system.

Phineas jumped up. _"Hey!_ Go easy on the boy! He's about to lose his lunch. He's very sick."

"We realize that Voyager Bogg, and that's why we had you recalled back to Headquarters. We'll must take him to the Medical Center for evaluation. You need to come with us too; you were also exposed to the toxic gasses in Pompeii."

The nurse tapped a few buttons on an electronic attachment over his right arm after scanning it over Jeffrey's body.

"Vitals are good. No respiratory failure imminent." He noted.

Jeffrey couldn't speak, but he looked at Phineas with sad eyes and reached out his hand. Phineas squeezed it.

"You're going to be okay, Jeff. VHQ has the best medical staff in the world…in the universe actually. You're perfectly safe. I'll be right behind you, I promise."

Phineas watched pained as Jeffrey nodded and closed his eyes. The male nurses wheeled him out of the room. Phineas followed down the bright corridor. He never cared for the Medical Center and was glad he had hadn't suffered serious injury or illnesses that would force him to stay long in there. Hospitals were always so cold and uninviting on earth, and Headquarters was no exception with its dark aquamarine and austere white walls. The only comfort he had was that the VHQ medical staff and equipment were the most highly trained and technologically advanced in history. He had once joked to Jeffrey that they weren't crushing mummy bones in elixirs and making you drink lead laced concoctions like they did during his time period. Phineas suppressed a chuckle as he passed a filing room. He saw a sprite, red-headed nurse reaching up to grab one of the medical charts. He tilted his head demurely and watched her form.

_'Okay, now I remember the female nurses around here aren't so bad either, even if they do have to wear those hideous shoes.' _He thought.

"Phineas! You made it back!" A familiar voice called down the corridor.

Phineas jumped guiltily. The nurse peeked out and gave him a smile, then resumed her work. It was then he noticed the sparkler on her left hand. He quit staring and saw Susan waving from the double doors that led to the emergency room.

Phineas hurried to greet her. It felt odd to see her again in such a different, but wholly familiar setting. She was no longer the confused and resilient slave girl in a doomed ancient city, but an intelligent and sophisticated lawyer with a much higher ranking than he had.

"Well, I didn't come here on my own, we were recalled. Was that your doing?"

"How did you guess?"

"I had a feeling you would be specifically monitoring _this _voyage." He smiled. "Come on, I don't want to leave Jeff."

He held her hand and they went into the emergency area. Jeffrey was situated in his own room. He was drowsy on the cot, and the nurses were setting up a hospital gown for him and attaching an IV and heart monitor to his arm and body.

"Bogg, what's happening? I'm scared."

Phineas stood by the edge of the bed and brushed his curls back from his forehead. "Don't be scared. I'm right here. Nobody will hurt you. This is all routine."

Phineas looked at one of the nurses. "Hey, _uhh_, Nurse Boyd_,_ do you think we can get him cleaned up? He's still covered in ash and soot. That can't be healthy."

"We're right on it, we just need to get an immediate reading of his vitals to the doctor and then we'll have someone wash him off."

"I'll help." Susan offered.

"Thanks Sue. Sorry to be so rushed, today has been a frenetic day around here. War wounds, cholera, Spanish influenza!" He shook his head wryly. Earlier in the month we had a few cases of the black plague. We had to do a lock-down on the med unit for three days." The nurse approached Jeffrey. "How's the pain in your stomach now that you took those pills?"

"Practically gone. That was like a double dose of pepto, but I'm glad I didn't have to swallow it like a liquid. It makes me wanna puke even more!"

"What's pepto?" Phineas asked.

"Really nasty pink stuff my mom used to give me when I had a stomachache. It was supposed to taste like bubblegum, but I could never get it down right." Jeffrey said. "But it helped stomachaches."

Nurse Boyd smiled. "Our medicines are fast acting here and mostly tasteless. I'm glad you don't have an aversion to pill swallowing either. We've run into some trouble with that."

"Those I can handle. You don't have to crush 'em, I'm not a baby." Jeff shrugged.

The nurse looked at Phineas seriously. "We were worried that he might have been suffering from asphyxiation when you got here. That's why we acted so quickly. He has some symptoms, but they appear to be mild. Going from Pompeii during the eruption and then _back_ to Pompeii during the hazardous excavation could have done serious damage to his lungs. But everything looks positive. Jeffrey's a healthy kid, and according to his medical charts he never had a respiratory sickness or a history of respiratory disease. That's a big plus in his favor."

Jeffrey gripped Phineas shirtsleeve. "Too bad for Pliny's uncle."

Phineas looked at him. "How did he finally die, Jeff?"

"Pliny the Elder died the next day trying to save his friends in Stabiae, a little town near Pompeii. There are a few theories, he was kind of fat, so he might have had a heart attack, but I think he also had asthma."

"You're right, Jeffrey. Pliny the Younger told me of his uncle's ailments, that's one of the reasons why the elder studied nature. He was looking for medicinal cures. Pliny the Elder had his nose into everything. I never met him. It's a wonder I met Pliny the Younger, seeing as he was very rich. But he was always around Pompeii and his uncle had dealings with Bucco." Susan explained.

Nurse Boyd stood in the doorway. "I'll leave you fine Voyagers to your historical reminiscing. I have to get these readings to Doctor Bona."

"Is Jeff really going to be okay? Just tell me that!" Phineas demanded.

"I'd say Jeffrey will be as fit as a fiddle in the next few days. But we'll let the doctors tell you for sure. He needs time to rest. Now as for you, we…"

"Never mind about me." Phineas cut him off. "Deal with him first, and then we'll see how I feel. Right now I'm fine, just very…"

"_Exhausted_…and that makes you _cranky._" Jeffrey finished. "Bogg, I know what you're thinking, and you don't have to stay with me all day. I trust them. Just find a room and take a nap already." He ordered him.

"Jeff, no. I'm going to at least wait for the first reports. But I could sure use a shower too." Phineas admitted.

"Whatever you say, Bogg. There's one in the bathroom. I just don't want you biting everyone's head off, because that's what you're doing." He frowned.

Phineas rubbed his bleary eyes. He was almost seeing double from his tiredness. "I know, I know…I'm sorry." He apologized to the nurse. "It's really been a rough few hours."

"No offense taken, Bogg. Sad to say I've been treated far worse by fellow Voyagers. We know all the stresses you've just come out of. We'll be back soon, kiddo."

"Good, because I think I'll be pretty hungry when I wake up!" Jeffrey yawned loudly and turned to fix his pillows.

Phineas helped Jeffrey get comfortable and into his hospital gown. Susan waited for him to change, then came out of the restroom with a large aluminum bowl of soapy warm water and a sponge. She gently drew it across Jeffrey's face and moved on to his arms and legs to remove the soot. When Susan wasn't looking, Jeffrey stuck his tongue out at and grinned sneakily. Phineas gawked at him and wagged his fist. Jeffrey somewhat enjoyed the loving attention from the beautiful blonde and could just imagine that Phineas seethed with envy. The Voyager never did get his oil bath from her like he wanted back in Pompeii.

"As you now know, I've had plenty of practice doing _this _work." Susan grinned. "Phineas, I'm so glad your memory returned. The Omni Control Center had a feeling that what was needed to bring it back was another cosmic shock to your system. They're still not quite sure how it happened in the first place."

"I think it was the lightning storm at the Eiffel tower, it activated the cosmic radiation in the steel or something. That's what I was trying to tell you before the lightning hit." Jeffrey said.

"Fascinating. Susan, you've been waiting all this time since you became a Voyager for this moment, haven't you? Why didn't we recognize one another in Voyager School? Well, at least you would've recognized me! Come to think of it, why didn't you say anything to us at the trial?" Phineas pondered.

"You know they use a light dosage of memory suppressant on all the new recruits. It's standard procedure, but maybe that's why we were somewhat drawn to each other." She looked at him with a gentle, loving smile.

Phineas smirked. _"Nahh,_ you were just the new sexy blonde in class with great legs. What man _wouldn't_ feel connected?"

_"Oh_, sure, thank you. I'm glad I obliged your senses." She suddenly felt resentment and turned away from him.

Phineas noticed her demeanor change and he dropped the jokes. He paced the room and poked at the equipment. "Uh, you're welcome."

Seeing Phineas here reminded Susan of her life in Pompeii. She thought of all the greedy Roman slave owners that looked upon her as a lowly woman only fit to do their bidding, and some scurrilous ones who thought of her as a harlot who had to fulfill every man's desires. It riled her temper.

"Phineas, I was strictly informed not to tell you at the trial. Professor Garth felt it would interfere with the course of yours and Jeffrey's future history. Even if it did take place in _my past,_ the events of you going to Pompeii hadn't happened at that point in time yet.

"You mean, our present."

"Yes, it was a hard thing to keep to myself, but as you know, we had other pressing matters to deal with."

"Right, I was about to be banished by Drake's lies, but you stepped in and saved my tuba. I'll never forget that, Susan. I really appreciate everything you've done."

"Thank you, Phineas. I believe you."

"Why shouldn't you? Susan, are you okay? Did I say something to upset you? Jeffrey's right. I'm fatigued and punchy right now. The last thing I want to do is hurt you too."

For a quiet moment they just stared tenderly at one another. She had seen that look before, it was in the courtroom right after she told him she wished he had given her a chance. She sighed and busied herself disposing the ashy water.

"Don't worry, Phineas. I'm not hurt. Now that you know my past, you can see how I wouldn't be so soft-skinned."

Until the trial, Susan had never realized the extent of Phineas' interest in her and the thought welled up many uncertain emotions. On the one hand, she was thoroughly flattered to imagine that he watched her every move in class and he was too _'subtle and discreet'_ to admit it. On the other hand, she didn't understand why, despite the Voyager rules, he didn't even _try_ to win her over. But he built up quite a fierce reputation with many other women around campus. Even Voyager Olivia bragged about long, passionate kisses in Paris. Ever since the trial, those questions gnawed at her, and she had almost hoped not to see Phineas again.

Susan finished sponging Jeffrey and drew the covers over him. He was nearly asleep.

"Get some rest, Jeffrey, you sure deserve it." She kissed his forehead and Jeffrey sank deeper into his pillows, contented. "I'll never forget that you saved my life." She whispered.

"Thank you, _Sura._" He murmured and finally drifted off as she stroked his hair.

"That was quick." Phineas whispered.

"The pills they gave him for his stomach also act as a sedative. His blood pressure was running a little high, most likely from the excitement and the heat. He'll probably be out for a few hours."

Phineas scratched his head and plunked down in a nearby chair. "Well, that leaves me in a lurch. What could I do?" He rotated his shoulders to stretch out his cramped muscles. The Medical Center was chilly and not a place to wear subligars and sandals after taking a swim in the ocean.

"I gotta get my real clothes back. I can't run around in this diaper anymore. You don't even want to know how _badly_ it itches me!" He squirmed.

Susan giggled. "I think you look pretty striking in your Roman attire, Phineas. Headquarters can give you some warm clothes. Where is that old pirate garb anyway?"

"Where else? Back in Pompeii near the villa where I was arrested. When I escaped I had to dump them. By now I bet they're petrified and on display in some European museum. I bet Karl Weber found them! They're probably baffling archeologists and scientists alike."

Phineas looked her over carefully and grinned. "Hey, you look fantastic. I love how you can manage to keep your old style and still appear so elegant."

Susan was wearing a fitted pale pink chemise gown in a toga-style and gold sandals. Her heart fluttered. "Thank you, Phineas." She took her silver omni from her belt. "So, let's get the clothes back for you."

Phineas sat up taller. "My clothes? Oh no. I promised Jeffrey I would never, _ever _go back there."

"Phineas, I'm not saying to go back to the eruption. My omni can be calibrated to an exact time and can center me in on any area. If I remember correctly, it was some time around eleven that they took you away. That would mean you probably made it out of the prison by twelve, okay, I'll set it for twelve-fifteen and see what happens."

Susan adjusted the dials on her omni. Phineas grabbed her. "Hold on, you're just gonna go there and take my stuff? I can't let you do that alone."

"Phineas, I know the time zone much better than you do. If the clothes are where you say they are, they'll still be there. How many times have you done this before? I'll be back in the blink of an eye." She said almost curtly. "Why don't you just get some sleep in my quarters. I'll give you my pass key."

"Susan, I'm not letting you go back, it's too dangerous. Just forget it." Phineas shook his head stubbornly and held her wrist.

"Phineas Bogg, you're _not_ my master!"

Phineas still had his grip on her when she tapped the button and they shot off into the cosmos.


	10. Forever preserved

**Voyagers!: Frozen in Time  
**

**Chapter 10: Forever preserved**

"Phineas, you can put your arms down, we're here." Susan said.

He lowered his arms and felt the hard, grassy dirt beneath his feet. He opened his eyes and squinted in the sunlight.

"That's it? No drops from the sky? No somersaults or twisted muscles? Where's the fun in that?"

"I'm seriously going to talk to the Omni Control Center about an upgrade for you, Phineas. No, no drops from the sky. It's instantaneous…_blip!"_ She grinned.

Phineas stared at the prison villa a couple of yards away. "Susan, I didn't think you were going to press that button."

"Why? Because _you_ told me not to?" Susan paced across the foliage and wrung her hands. "I'm nobody's slave, Phineas. I'm a Voyager and I make my own decisions and I'll do what needs to be done." She swung around to face him, and he noticed the tears in her eyes. "Now where are those clothes hiding?"

Phineas backed away confused and pointed to a large olive tree surrounded by bushes. "Over there. I'll get 'em."

Susan followed, but when he peeked into the bush, there were no clothes to be found.

"_Bat's breath!_ Someone must have taken them!" Phineas complained. "I should have known. The kid and I always take a chance whenever we do this with our stuff. _Arr,_ I hope whomever has them enjoys them. Now the archeologists will find a frozen body with my pirate clothes on."

Susan wasn't paying much attention. Her head hung low and her long hair drooped over her face. She looked as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Phineas stood up and dusted off his knees.

"I knew we shouldn't have come here. It's too much for you. Even I feel agitated. Let's go, okay?"

"Phineas, what is wrong with me?"

"_What?"_

"What is so wrong with me that I am not good enough for you?"

Phineas was staggered by her questions. Women always picked the most inopportune times to bring up pressing issues. "Susan, what are you saying?"

Susan glared at him. He had never seen a look so fierce, yet so alluring upon her face. Whatever she was about to tell him did not come out of thin air.

"I'm _saying,_ Phineas, that you claimed to really like me once. You fawned over my legs and mole and whatever else was on your pirate mind." She stormed closer and poked him the chest. "But you never once approached me, or even dared to ask me out for as much as a cup of coffee. Did you think I was going to snub you? That I was too _good_ for you?"

Phineas was about to take sweet hold of her, but Susan climbed on a rock, she just wanted to let her emotions fly.

"You never bothered to get to know the _real _me! You had this grand illusion that I was some mysterious, unapproachable, ice queen! Well now you know the truth! I am nothing more than a useless slave woman that probably should have died and gotten buried in Pompeii. I'm not even a good lawyer! I barely had a chance to defend you! You and Jeffrey saved yourselves in that courtroom. I just stood by at a loss against Drake!"

Phineas wiped the sweat from his face. He looked at her pitiably. Here, the entire city was on the brink of a meltdown, and Susan decided to pick this time to have one as well. He would never fully understand the mind of a woman. He didn't know if he should speak, sometimes that did more harm than good. However she gazed straight at him and waited for acknowledgment.

"Susan, I don't care about the past! You are a wonderful, intelligent woman and _excellent_ lawyer. You're the one who came up with the idea to use Drake's journals against him. And you found them. And you wanna know something about you and me?"

"Yes! _Anything!"_

"I _was_ intimidated by you, because you were so smart, so quiet and reserved. I had no idea it was because you felt out of place or unworthy. _I _felt like a big, dumb oaf around you. I didn't think you would ever go for an unruly lout like me. You deserved better than that."

"Don't say those things about yourself. They are definitely not true."

"Oh believe me, sometimes they were. What is really not true is that you are a useless slave woman."

"Phineas, how do you know what I deserved? You barely spoke to me. I wanted to tell you so many things. I wanted to share my past and I was so fascinated to learn that you were a pirate and…but…"

Tears stung her cheeks. It hurt Phineas to see her this way–his brave, forthright Susan reduced to a whimpering damsel in distress. He also realized that's what made women so beautifully unique. As much as he admired, strong, independent women, he understood that they were truly a weaker vessel in certain ways and needed to be cherished as such. He patiently waited for her to continue.

"Every time I saw you, you were with another woman. Slave or not, I still have my dignity. I did not want to be just a notch in that belt of yours. It would have made me feel just as I did here in Pompeii–like a piece of feminine flesh only good to satisfy a man's carnal desires, and feed them fruits, and slather them with oils, and draw their stupid baths and…"

Phineas came closer to her; he was about to reach for her to come down when the ground rumbled. Susan lost her footing and slipped, but landed safely in his arms. Phineas clutched her in his strong embrace.

"Oh no! It's starting!" She buried her face against his shoulder.

"I remember that being the first tremor. It doesn't happen again for another few minutes."

Phineas lowered his face toward hers. "Listen to me! I had no idea you felt this way, Susan. I'm sorry if I treated you badly. I didn't mean to. I was a rascal! Low morals, corrupted by some of the most vilest men on the seven seas."

"Phineas, you were much better than all those other pirates I had heard about. You had honesty, integrity, you were kind and unprejudiced, and even though you went with different women like a bee to a flower…"

"Susan, I _love_ women. I respect _all_ women. And I respected _you_ the most."

"You did?"

"Absolutely! Why do you think I didn't make any passes or turn on the Bogg charm so quick? I chickened out. It killed me that I missed my opportunity."

A wide smile enveloped her face. "Shut up, Phineas! I'm right here! You haven't missed a thing."

He laughed. "Now that's what I like to see, Susan. Those gorgeous dimples." Phineas gently pressed his lips over hers and they fell into a long, loving kiss.

"Now I know what _I've_ missed." She sighed.

"That's _just_ the beginning…"

Phineas stopped talking upon hearing a deep voice muttering strong oaths from the eighteenth century. He looked ahead and gasped.

"Get down, Susan, behind the rock, quick!"

They crouched low and peeked out. Susan suppressed laughter when a tall form came bounding into view, hot and angry, and trying to adjust his armor in various places to prevent chafing.

"Phineas! That's _you!_ I set the omni too early! Look at you; you're a regular Centurion in that full armor. Where did you get that?"

"_Shh!_ There I go, I'm dropping my clothes now."

"_I'm going to miss you, old boots and vest! But there's no way I can come back for you here in Pompeii. You'll be petrified."_

"Come on!" Phineas quietly urged himself. "Move it! Your boy needs you!"

They ducked their heads as he passed them and he didn't stop to look back at the villa again. Phineas rose up with Susan.

"That was _very_ strange."

"It certainly was. Something like that rarely happens in the field. It's actually not supposed to. The consequences could be disastrous." She explained.

"And Jeffrey might say, that's _heavy!"_

Susan brought the clothes to the rock and attempted to fold them.

"Figures you would throw them in a ball. Don't forget your boots, Phineas…_Phineas?"_

He stared at the villa. "Susan, there's one more thing I have to do. It's eaten at my conscience since I left here."

"What happened in the dungeon?"

"I had to break out, and I locked two guards in the prison. I left the keys by the door, but nobody will come to get them out. This place was deserted."

"Phineas, what's done is done. If they didn't die that way, they may have died some other way."

"But I don't know that for sure. They're so close to the Marina, they could escape. They could help others too, and organize the crowds so that more women and children could survive. You were in the midst of it all, but I was in the boat with Pliny. I watched those desperate people jumping and waving us down, hoping someone would come to their rescue. Jeff and I came here for a reason, but I don't want to take part in anyone's death. If we were never here, I wouldn't have been arrested. They were ruffians, I admit, but they were doing their jobs as authority figures. Do you understand, Susan?"

Susan kissed his cheek. "Of course I do. If that's what you feel you have to do, then do it. I'll help you, but then we really need to leave, Phineas. I…I don't want to be here again, not when the eruptions start. Please?"

Phineas kissed her softly on the forehead. "I know. I'll be quick."

They went into the villa and walked down the long passage.

"I hear them banging on that door. You know they'll want to kill you when you open it!"

"They wanted to kill me earlier too. There's no difference, just have that omni ready for a quick exit."

Susan readjusted the settings for Headquarters. "Done."

Phineas banged on the iron door. "Fabius! Aelious! It is I, the man you tried to make prisoner! I wanted to escape, but I decided to come back and release you! You must listen carefully!"

"They heard muffled shouts through the doorway. _"Let us out of here now, plebeian!"_

"If you insult me, I won't!" Phineas rapped the door again. "I'm telling you this to save your lives. Did you feel that quaking before, yes or no?"

_"Yes!"_

"That is only the beginning! Mount Vesuvius is smoking and she is going to erupt at any moment! You have to believe me, because…because…"

He looked wide-eyed at Susan and she smiled and pointed the omni upward.

Phineas grinned_. _"Because I have been sent from the gods of _the future_ to warn the good people of Pompeii!"

_"Sent from gods! You are crazy!"_

Phineas huffed and glanced at Susan. "What is with these people? They spend hours on end bowing down and making figures and sacrifices to lifeless statues and idols, then they can't believe when someone tries to tell them a serious message from their precious gods!"

Susan could only shrug. "Let me try."

"It's all yours."

"Centurions! My name is Sura and I am a goddess. When we release you, you will see our power. I command you to go to the Marina and do all that you can to help the people in an orderly fashion escape this _doomed _city!"

As if on cue, the ground quaked again violently. Phineas grabbed Susan and they flattened against the wall until the rumblings stopped. The guards yelled fearfully and promised they would do as told. Phineas quickly opened the locks. The two beaten guards sweat profusely as they stumbled out. The heat that followed them from inside was unbearable.

Phineas backed away with Susan and picked up the fallen spear. He blocked her protectively.

"You do as she told you, do you understand?"

The guards were trying to get a glimpse of her and Fabius grunted. "She's no goddess! That's the slave woman we left with Caninus!"

"Little do you know! You come one step closer and this spear will find your hearts!" Phineas threatened. "I warn you!"

"There is no eruption!" The younger guard announced. "You're a liar! A thief and a liar!"

The entire villa shook from top to bottom, marble dust coated them and the furniture and fixtures cracked and topple over. They nearly lost their footing.

"Do you see now? _Go!_ Go to the Marina and save others! That is your Roman duty!"

Susan raised her omni high and clutched Phineas' arm. "Does this look familiar? You had believed the brass one to be Bucco's, but it is not."

"How…how did you retrieve that? We gave it to Caninus! What is that device?"

"Never underestimate a female's power." She warned them. "It is a tool designed by the gods of time and cosmos and they are _angry…furious…_at your interference! Caninus has been dealt with too!"

Phineas smirked. Who knew Susan could lay it on as thick as Jeffrey? He joined in the speech. "That's right! However_,"_ He nodded toward Susan. "The gods have decided to take pity on you, because you have served their country and people. Now they ask you _one more time_, to go to the Marina and help them! We must leave now! This city is about to be devastated!"

Fabius rushed forward. "Enough of their talk! Seize them!"

"No, no! I will not toy with the chosen vessels of the gods!" Aelious got upon his knee and held his arm across his chest and bowed. "We will do what you request!"

"Very good! We will take our leave and so will you!" Susan said. She glared hotly at the older guard. "It will do you well to heed the younger man, Fabius. He is wiser than you!"

She drew her arm through Phineas' and he dropped the spear. "Sneeze sweetly, Centurions!"

Susan hit her omni and they both disappeared. Fabius dropped to his knees beside Aelious. "They were telling us the truth!"

"I knew it! Come, we must save our people. I have a bad a feeling about Vesuvius too, in fact I…"

The volcano exploded, rocking the foundations of the entire land. Both men cowered and grasped their ears, then made a mad dash out of the villa and toward the ocean.

-Oo-

When Jeffrey finally awoke, he saw Phineas sleeping alongside the hospital bed. His body was sprawled across two chairs placed together and his arms were folded over his chest. Jeffrey almost didn't want to wake him. He felt humbled by the concern his partner showed him. Jeffrey leaned over and tapped his shoulder.

Phineas stirred and his eyes flew open. "What's wrong? Where's Jeffrey?" When he realized he was staring at his partner he calmed down and rubbed his face.

"Oh, thank goodness! When we came back you were still sleeping like a log, so I showered and changed and just passed out here. I didn't want to leave your side."

Jeffrey crossed his legs and scooted closer to his partner. "Aww, Bogg, I would have understood if you found a nice room to sleep in or something. The nurses would have told me. So…" Jeffrey suddenly realized something different. "Hey, Bogg! You got your old clothes back on. You went to Pompeii? You _promised_ you wouldn't."

Phineas looked at him uncomfortably. "I can't lie to you. I went. I sort of only promised that I would never take _you_ back there. Susan and I were only there about twenty minutes. We left way before the eruption. But I had to do something else."

"What now?" Jeffrey still glowered at him. He was much more afraid for Phineas than angry at him. "What was so important that you could have died?" He softened his tone.

"I had to rescue two men that…well, if they had died in the red-light history, then it would have been all _my_ fault. I can't say for sure that they made it out alive, but I feel better knowing I gave them a chance to live."

Jeffrey smiled wryly. "Bogg, you're such a softie. Who would have thought with the way you treated me on the beach when you lost your memory."

Phineas' face saddened. "Jeffrey, I hope you can understand that I wasn't in my right mind. I was scared, and the last thing I remembered was nearly being drowned in a fierce storm that killed all my crew-mates. Then I wake up and find myself in Ancient Rome with a strange little boy who says he's my best friend and tells me we protect history with a compass!"

"If you put it that way, I guess it is kinda crazy to believe."

"All the time I tried to deny it, but I knew deep inside that you were telling the truth."

Jeffrey patted his shoulder. "Yeah, it could have been much worse. You could have been a real cutthroat, but instead you're a marshmallow. I got a Mallomar for a partner."

Phineas chuckled. "Sometimes I'm soft, I can admit it. I got chided for that big time as a pirate, but it kept me alive and served me well. I mean, here I am now, chosen to be a Voyager! One of the best jobs in the universe, right?"

Jeffrey laughed. "Right!"

"And the best thing about it is that we're partners. We always will be."

"Right again, Bogg. PB and J! You can't go wrong with that." Jeffrey hugged him. "This is gonna sound real corn-ball, but you're the best partner a kid could ever have."

Phineas laughed loudly. He patted his back and pulled away. "Hey listen, speaking of food, I'm starving! Since you feel better, why don't we go find Susan and eat some lunch or dinner…or whatever meal time it is!"

"That sounds awesome! But first I have to ask the doctor, he might not let me go today." Jeffrey said glumly. "I feel fine, Bogg. Even the chest pains are gone now and I can breathe better."

"That's a relief. But you should stay. I still hear some wheezing. So, we'll all have dinner in here. Besides, there's a story I want to tell you, I think you're going to love it."

Jeffrey brightened up. "What? A pirate story?"

Phineas playfully put a fist to his jaw. "You know me too well. Yeah, a pirate story, this is the story about a sailor named Victor Jones, who once befriended a young rapscallion named Bogg."

Jeffrey's eyes lit up. "Victor…That's…that's the name of my ancestor! The guy my father always told me about! He said he had died on one of his voyages. It was _your_ ship?"

"Unfortunately yes." Phineas replied sadly. "But he died a hero, and I know this because I'm alive to tell how."

Jeffrey clutched his arm. "You mean he tried to save _you_?"

Phineas nodded. Having the cosmic disturbance had brought long forgotten memories to the fore of his mind. "We tried to save each other. I saw him go overboard first. I ran for him and slid across the ship to grab hold. Our hands touched, and then he disappeared. A few moments later the boat capsized and I was…" Phineas stared at his hands, remembering the searing pain as he tried to hold onto anything to keep from sinking. "I took quite a plunge, but somebody pushed me to the surface and put me on a large piece of driftwood. There was so much rain and lightning, but I distinctly remember it was Jones. I grappled for him, there was room for him too, but then another wave came and…"

Jeffrey was captivated. "He was swept away?"

"Yeah. And I was too weak to do anything and before I knew it, I woke up here at Voyagers Headquarters."

"Wow, that's amazing! _Sad_, but amazing."

Phineas held Jeffrey's shoulder. "Jeff, it's no mistake that the Voyagers sent me to you. You've got voyaging in your blood. It didn't occur to me all this time, but now I understand. They gave me another chance to save Jones through you and preserve his legacy. I'd like to think it's that way. I didn't know him very long, but he was a good man, exactly the type of man I know you'll become. Heh, ya know, he even looked a lot like you. The same features and that _mussy_ head of curly hair!"

Phineas swiped at his curls and Jeffrey ducked, laughing. "Bogg, thanks for telling me this. I had no clue. It's awesome that we share a family history together."

"It's _very_ awesome, but, that's all in the past, and now, we're going to make history of our own."

"That's right! Voyagers forever!"

"Hello, boys! Am I intruding?" Susan said from the doorway. Phineas looked up and smiled warmly. _"Nahh,_ we were just…"

"Swapping old pirate tales." Jeffrey finished. "Hey, what's in the bags? I smell something really good."

Susan entered and pulled a square coffee table close by them. She set the bags down. "Well, I assumed you'd both be famished by now. I couldn't find Ancient Roman food, but how does modern Greek sound?"

"Perfect! Let's eat!" Phineas beamed and helped her dish out the food.

The Voyagers ate and laughed and shared stories of their lives before being plucked out of time. Phineas marveled over the change in Susan and felt wholly endeared to her now. He had never seen her more open and animated and she glowed even more beautiful than he remembered. As she told them a dramatic story of her childhood and surviving an earthquake in Pompeii, Phineas held her hand tenderly. His meaning was not lost on her and their fingers intertwined. He sighed contented. He didn't know what the future held for them, but he wanted to work for one. He suddenly had a vision of the three of them together every day, just like this, as a real family is supposed to be.

Jeffrey caught Phineas staring at her and for once, didn't roll his eyes. Phineas wore an expression of real affection, not puppy love as with other women in his past. Bogg's slick wink at him confirmed it. Jeffrey wondered if they shared the same thoughts–that this near perfect moment could be frozen in time and forever preserved, so he could once again feel the love and warmth of a true family.

**The End.**


End file.
